The Unexpected Friendship

Driss and Phillipe together
on a walk for some fresh air.

        Over the weekend I saw the new foreign film, The Intouchables. As the movie started and the actors started to speak in French, I thought to myself, I really hope this whole movie isn't in French. It's always a real bummer to be reading the subtitles every minute of a movie. To my surprise, the subtitles were actually a great "topper" to the movie. The script had a very strong conversation feel that flowed extremely well. It completely changed my mind on my thoughts of foreign films!
         Based on a true story, it took place in France and dealt with a wealthy man, Phillipe, who is a quadriplegic (handicapped from the neck down) from a paragliding accident and a young, Senegalese-born ex-con, Driss, who took care of him. Coming from two completely different backgrounds, these two men connected in a way no one thought they ever would. It was almost like they were incomplete without the other by their side. Phillipe was known for going through caretakers very quickly because no one would ever be able to handle his extreme needs and be on call 24/7. Driss treated Phillipe as a normal person, sometimes even forgetting his handicap, helping him to live the most normal life he could with having only a sense of feeling in his head.
         Driss has a sense of "realness" to his personality. He tells Phillipe that his daughter is a brat, laughs at the dancing tree during the opera, gives the neighbor his mind when he is parking in a "no parking" zone. They were both able to understand one another without saying a word. As the old saying goes "Opposites attract." The French Publisher's Agency comments on Abdel Sellou's (character Driss in movie) life as "fearless because he has nothing to lose," while Phillip di Borgo "is fearless because he has already lost everything." Who knew two exact opposite people could come together in such a similar, yet different, way? If your up for a good laugh and smile I encourage you to come see this movie! Check out the trailer to the right!