Review of Illégal

In real life, not in this delicate and highly emotional film, is less talk or debate about the core problem of migration or why do people want to settle far away from their homeland? Who in the right mind wants to leave family, friends, home, culture and language behind? We know, millions do, but why and who is at fault? The answer is simple: Corrupt Governments. But the film ILLEGAL is not a political drama at all, it is a strong, emotional tale about a mother and her struggle to make sure her young son will be all right and grow up in freedom to become a decent person. The price is way to high but like any respectable and caring mother the sky is the limit, Tania would go to any length to protect her family's well being. From beginning to end this fine Belgian film will keep your emotions high and often will make you angry, it made me wanting to get involved and do something for her, but soon I realized, I am watching an extraordinary film and I am useless, except feel for the brave mother. Watching Illegal, Milos Foreman's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and Alejandro Iñárritu's "Biutiful" comes to mind for they both deal with the human condition, the struggle to be alive and make it into the world.

This is the second feature film for the talented Belgian writer/director Olivier Masset-Depasse who worked with the equally talented and beautiful actress Anne Coesens in both his feature films. Anne's screen presence is as dramatic as it is magical, her acting control and evenness is compelling. I hope you will LOVE this film as much as I do, not only for the subject matters, one of them being migration, that it is controversial and not easy to digest for many natives, but also for the extraordinary script, direction, acting and editing.