Zim and Co. (2005) - film review

20-year-old Victor Zimbietrovski, known to his friends as Zim, lives in the suburbs of Paris and ekes out a living doing odd jobs.  When he crashes his scooter into a car, he receives a court summons.  The judge tells him that unless he finds a proper job he will go to prison.  Zim is offered a job, but this requires him to have qualifications, a driving licence and a car, none of which he possesses.  Fortunately, his friends are there to give him a helping hand...

What at first sight appears to be a near rip-off of Cédric Klapisch’s Le Péril jeune (1994) is in fact an insightful reflection on today’s increasingly marginalized young from socially deprived backgrounds.  Director Pierre Jolivet may appropriate some of Klapisch’s trademark motifs but the film is uniquely his, an effective mix of social comedy and social drama which has somewhat more bite than his previous offering in this genre, Ma petite entreprise (1999).

With a remarkable lightness of touch, Zim and Co. tackles a whole range of important social malaises that afflict France, indeed much of the West, today - racism, youth disaffection, police intimidation, and much more. Prejudice, distrust and discrimination have poisoned our society to the extent that those at the bottom of the social pyramid have virtually no chance of surviving within the strictures of the law.  The central irony of the story is that the main character must commit a whole series of minor criminal offences in order to escape being sent to prison for an even lesser crime.  The whole system is skewed against the kind of people the film portrays, so no wonder some of them fight against it, hence perpetuating the myth that all of society’s ills are down to poor uneducated immigrants.

What could easily have been a very heavy social drama is actually a surprisingly upbeat film, one that celebrates the value of friendship as much as it condemns youth exploitation and racism.  Jolivet tackles some serious issues with his characteristic wry humour, so that, in addition to its cogent social messages, Zim and Co. offers plenty of good laughs.  It helps that the main characters are well-drawn and skilfully portrayed by a talented young cast, which is headed by Jolivet’s own son, Adrien.  The latter is a Romain Duris-look-alike who clearly has a great acting career ahead of him.  Jolivet and his team are perfectly in tune with their subject and deliver a film that is both entertaining and an honest reflection on the sorry state of our society today.

© James Travers 2010

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