The snow on Kilimanjaro
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The snow on Kilimanjaro |
| Original title | Les neiges du Kilimandjaro |
| Country of production | France |
| original language | French |
| Publishing year | 2011 |
| length | 103 minutes |
| Age rating |
FSK 12 JMK 8 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Robert Guédiguian |
| script | Robert Guédiguian Jean-Louis Milesi |
| production | Malek Hamzaoui |
| camera | Pierre Milon |
| cut | Bernard Sasia |
| occupation | |
| |
The Snow on Kilimanjaro is a French feature film by Robert Guédiguian from 2011. It was inspired by the poem Les pauvres gens (Eng. The poor people ) by Victor Hugo .
action
Dock worker and union representative Michel lives with his wife Marie-Claire in a house in Marseille. Marie-Claire earns some money as a cleaning lady and once gave up her training as a nurse for Michel. Both have children and three grandchildren. Marie-Claire's sister Denise is married to Raoul, who, like Michel, works at the port. The company has to lay off 20 workers. Michel draws the names of those to be released, specifying himself as one of the drawn. Now at the age of 50 he is unemployed and will certainly not get any more work because of his age. He is waiting for the severance payment from his job and otherwise devotes himself to housework and spending time with his grandchildren. He is allowed to use his former job as the venue for his 30th wedding anniversary and, in addition to the family, he also invites all 19 dismissed employees. Marie-Claire and he received a chest with money and two tickets for a trip to the foot of Kilimanjaro on the wedding day . The trip was a secret wish of Marie-Claire and both are looking forward to the adventure. Michel, in turn, receives from his brother-in-law Raoul a first edition of a comic book that once belonged to Michel anyway and that Michel missed. Raoul claims that he saw the magazine Michel's name was in by chance at a bookseller.
Some time later, Michel, Marie-Claire, their sister Denise and her husband Raoul were playing cards when two masked men suddenly storm the house and tie all four up. They ask for cash and credit cards from those present. They seem to know very well that Marie-Claire and Michel received money at their party. Michel is thrown tied to his chair on the floor and injured his shoulder, Denise collapses. After the men are satisfied that the specified PIN cards right, they go. One of the two takes the comic book that Michel received for his wedding day . After the attack, the two couples' lives change. Denise is constantly haunted by nightmares and shuns the public. She often cries and has to seek treatment. Michel's shoulder injury is slow to heal, so he has to carry one arm in a sling and is therefore restricted in everything he can do. Marie-Claire begins to have doubts about life, while Raoul develops an increasing hatred of the perpetrators over the weeks because his wife is getting worse and worse.
One of the perpetrators is young Christophe, who was one of the workers who were laid off by Michel. Because his mother, who gave birth to him when he was 16, is rarely home, he looks after his two little brothers Jules and Martin. Jules takes the comic book with him and reads it on the bus, which Michel also takes. He recognizes the booklet that he borrows because his name is on it. He follows the children and sees that Christophe is one of them. Shortly afterwards the police arrest Christophe. He admits the act, but the investigators do not find the looted money. It later turns out that he used it to pay his rent arrears and go shopping. During a conversation in the police station, Christophe mocks Michel, who can cope with the loss of money in his lifestyle and is supported by the union anyway. Michel is so outraged that he hits the man who is bound. Marie-Claire, who was following the scene, is appalled. Michel plagues his conscience and he considers withdrawing his complaint, as Christophe faces 15 years imprisonment. Above all, Raoul is strictly against it, as even the maximum penalty does not go far enough for him. Marie-Claire in turn worries about the two brothers Christophes. She gains access to the apartment, wins the children's trust and starts cleaning and cooking for them in the evenings, watches cartoons with them and puts them to bed. In front of Michel, she explains her absence by going to the cinema and later taking on new evening shifts. Michel learns that it would make no sense to withdraw the complaint, since in any case charges would be brought against Christophe. A second meeting with Christophe is just as hostile as the first, so Christophe Michel accuses that the workers should have been dismissed differently. One should have left out cases of hardship, dismissed double earners or cut the working hours for everyone. When Michel asked how he could help him, Christophe initially responded puzzled and then sarcastically said that someone could take care of his apartment.
The second perpetrator can also be arrested and Michel receives the two plane tickets back to Kilimanjaro. He keeps this from Marie-Claire and gives the tickets back. He actually wanted to give the money to the two children, but changed his mind. He confesses to his wife, whom he meets on the beach, that he has returned the tickets. Michel proposes to her to take his brothers with her while Christophes is imprisoned. Marie-Claire agrees and a short time later Jules and Martin stand next to her. They went swimming briefly. Marie-Claire and Michel are happy that they both had the same thought. Her decision meets with incomprehension and rejection among her children. The fact that both of them have returned the tickets for which the family has long saved is seen as an affront. Only Raoul and Denise, who is slowly finding her way back to life, support the two. They come to the barbecue without being asked and have sweets and toys for Jules and Martin with them. Raoul, who had fallen out over Michel's behavior over the past few weeks, makes up with him. He now also admits that he once stole the comic book from him, and the two men laughingly hug each other.
production
The snow on Kilimanjaro was filmed in Marseille, among other places. It premiered on May 14, 2011 as part of the Un certain regard series at the Cannes International Film Festival and was shown in French cinemas on November 16, 2011. The film was released in Switzerland on December 22, 2011 and was also shown in German cinemas from March 15, 2012. In September 2012, The Snow on Kilimanjaro was released on DVD.
The film title goes back to the song Kilimanjaro by Pascal Danel from 1967, which is sung at the wedding anniversary party. Martin and Jules watch the film The Grand Race of Belleville on television , while Michel watches a premier league soccer match between Olympique de Marseille and FC Lorient on August 21, 2010.
criticism
For the film service , The Snow on Kilimanjaro was a “cheerful class struggle fairy tale. Photographed in style, he sometimes takes on picturesque, also human features, but always tells his heart-touching story with love. "" Help instead of punishing: a sincere manifesto against cynicism and ignorance, "summarized Cinema .
Awards
At the Semana Internacional de Cine de Valladolid , the film won the audience award in 2011; Director Guédiguian was also awarded the Silver Ear for the best film. Also in 2011, Guédiguian won the LUX film prize of the European Parliament for The Snow on Kilimanjaro . Ariane Ascaride received a César nomination in the category Best Actress in 2012 . Anaïs Demoustier won an Étoile d'Or for Best Young Actress in the same year .
Web links
- The Snows of Kilimanjaro in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Age rating for The Snow on Kilimanjaro . Youth Media Commission .
- ↑ The snow on Kilimanjaro. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .
- ↑ See cinema.de
- ↑ “Les neiges du Kilimandjaro” wins the LUX Film Prize 2011 , November 16, 2011.