Tombés du ciel
1993 Comedy / Drama   
Director: Philippe Lioret
Starring: Jean Rochefort, Marisa Paredes, Ticky Holgado, Laura del Sol, Sotigui Kouyaté


 
Summary
Arturo Conti arrives at Paris airport hoping to celebrate the New Year in the French capital with his Spanish wife.  Unfortunately he cannot get past passport control.  Just before catching his plan in Montreal, a thief stole all of his identification, and also his money.  Conti’s dual nationality adds to the complications as the airport authorities try to confirm his identity.  As this administrative machine creaks along, Conti explores the area set aside at the airport to house illegal immigrants and other people like him who have no status to enter the country.  He finds he has entered another world...

Credits
  • Director: Philippe Lioret
  • Script: Philippe Lioret, Michel Ganz
  • Photo: Thierry Arbogast
  • Music: Jeff Cohen
  • Cast: Jean Rochefort (Arturo Conti), Marisa Paredes (Suzana), Ticky Holgado (Serge), Laura del Sol (Angela), Sotigui Kouyaté (Knak), Ismaïla Meite (Zola), Jean-Louis Richard (Monsieur Armanet), José Artur (Le marchand de journaux), Olivier Saladin (Le restaurateur), Claude Derepp (Bébert)
  • Country: France / Spain
  • Language: French
  • Runtime: 91 min
  • Aka: Lost in Transit
 

Review
With its unusual setting, off-the-wall plot and bizarre mix of characters, Tombés du ciel is an unsettling black comedy.  Based on a true story, the film shows a slice of life which only an unfortunate minority of souls see or endure – indeed one which is so unfamiliar to most people’s everyday experience that it seems downright surreal.  A solid performance from Jean Rochefort adds to the quirky appeal and humanity of the film, which marks the directorial debut for Philippe Lioret.  The latter’s inexperience shows up in the film’s painfully static second half and some awkward moments of contrived sentimentality.  The film is most memorable for the tender rapport which Rochefort’s character strikes up with a small black boy (played by Ismaïla Meite).   For an even darker view of the hidden airport sub-culture, see Roch Stéphanik’s 2000 film, Stand-by.

© James Travers 2004



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