Tombés du ciel (1993)

Tombés du ciel is a French-Spanish film comedy-drama first released in 1993, directed by Philippe Lioret.  The film stars Jean Rochefort, Marisa Paredes, Ticky Holgado, Laura del Sol and Sotigui Kouyaté.  It has also been released under the title: Lost in Transit.  Our overall rating for this film is: good.


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...

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.  The film was remade in 2004 by Steven Spielberg as The Terminal.

© James Travers 2004

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