La bienveillance des inconnus

It appears that most reviewers sought an adrenaline-filled action thriller or jazzy melodrama. This is not one of that too-common coin. Rather, like most films in which the quietly brilliant Bill Nighy appears, this one is delicate, smooth, evocative, relevant to just about every human who is not trying to escape being human (or is working to escape the madness of modern society and return to being just human).

This film honorably expands the canon of interwoven lifelines each of which, like the Borromean rings, supports and enriches other already-solid stories. Like Crash, 360, Magnolia and Hereafter, all of the characters are entirely plausible, especially when they find themselves coping with unfamiliar and threatening circumstances. Most rise to opportunity for self-improvement; a few find a chute to the pit.

Like most truly mind-expanding (dare one say "spiritual"?) movies, this one faces the conscious viewer with a series of "I've been there too" and "what would I do?" and "who would help me?" moments. And for the generous of heart, two persistent questions: How have I been helped along by people with no reason to get involved but their own generous mindsets; and What opportunities to help others, and thereby myself and my world, are presenting themselves in this moment?

Quiet, compelling, and worth a slot in any ethics or social-psychology class.

Brilliant story, brilliant acting, brilliant directing. I don't understand why this movie has a low rating. From the very beginning, it captures you, quite sad at some point but it just kept getting better. A well deserving ending I must say.

The understated quality of this movie might be why it hasn't received better reviews. I don't think it means to be a treatise on homelessness or a precise rendition of the conditions thereof (an assumption I've seen some high profile critics make). That's a fate that befalls one of the characters and her two children, part of an ensemble whose interlinked stories together make a case for empathy and impulsive altruism being among the most admirable aspects of human nature.

Homelessness is one thematic layer to a story that investigates kindness as the social glue that matters most and is possibly also the most underrated of dispositions or inclinations, often being seen as weak or oversensitive. Personally, I found it a lovely film, quite moving in places with its acknowledgment that, without kindness and the generosity of strangers, society would fall apart.

There is nothing wrong with a movie that isn't polished like a diamond. No, the writing isn't perfect and the acting is not genius (albeit good), but stories are bigger than their words. The cinematography is very nice, especially if you're a fan of NY.

I look forward to more from the creator.

Love the cast, the acting, the writing, the story- all of it was so clever and intertwined. A really beautiful story of how small acts of kindness can mean the world to other people. Bill Nighy and Zoe Kazan are amazing actors and them together is everything I didn't know I needed. Give this movie a shot, it will bless your soul.