Wisi smiles broadly at life, but it returns it badly. Barely arrived in Bordeaux to play an extra in the opera Boris Godunov, he is rejected because he does not fit into his costume. Too big, too black too perhaps… Which is translated as: “Too much presence.”
In dire straits, he heads to the soup kitchen where he softens up Marina, a big-hearted humanitarian. By pretending to be an undocumented migrant, he manages to get a place to stay at her house. A trick that doesn’t escape Jérôme, a cantankerous, racist and work-averse guy who has just lost his mother and is also looking for a roof over his head. A daring escort boy activity and a real friendship will be born from their meeting.
Jean-Pascal Zadi and Raphaël Quenard, both awarded a César for best actor, team up with Emmanuelle Devos in this film by Christine Paillard and Chad Chenouga. In common with the two directors: “A little desire to fight against political correctness, the injunctions of a society where everything is first degree, darkness and polarization.” Their first comedy is also inspired by the poem Good dogs, by Baudelaire (Take me with you and perhaps we will make a kind of happiness out of our two miseries.)
The lines fly in the first part of Why are you smiling? and run out of steam a little in the second, which still has some surprises in store (including the appearance of actress Judith Magre, 97 years old!). We might cry out at the excess of optimism in front of this story of friendship stronger than racism, but between two high-risk rounds of legislative elections, why stop ourselves from dreaming? 1 hour 35 minutes.
