First of all, Samba is not a movie about dancing. I guess we all know that but I really felt like making this joke. Forgive my sometimes childish spirit. Samba is an enjoyable movie about a subject we are all aware of: ilegal immigrants. Unfortunately, ilegal immigrants are not our primary concern and I doubt anyone wastes more than 5 seconds a year thinking about them and their situation.
Samba is a nice young man from Senegal who finds himself as close to being deported as when he arrived in Paris ten years back. During this decade in Paris, he worked in all sorts of jobs to take care of his family back home, and hoping to one day legalize his situation. In his particular struggle surviving in France and hiding from the police, he will find 3 people to rely on: his uncle who gives him a roof, a funny Arabic man who like him does not have a visa, and a french girl who is helping immigrants while taking a break from her real job.
The adventures of our protagonist will make you laugh, and they will make you sad. Either way, they are a clear representation of the reality for thousands of men who are completely forgotten by the world, and who were born to struggle. More than men, they are like ghosts in our cities.
As a conclusion, I would said, this is not the best movie I have seen by any means, but clearly a movie I am happy to have watched. I am not going to become a social worker just yet, but at least, the thought of these brave men will stay with me for more than a few seconds I previously dedicated to their cause.
