10 giorni d'oro

I adore this film. I started watching it to learn french, and have watched it so many times now, each time recognisong a few more words. It's low budget and very sweet, but well put together and got some really nice touches, if you pay attention.

It's about a travelling salesman (Marc) whose life gets turned upside down by a chance encounter with a stranger who needs his help. He ends up reluctantly looking after the six year old son of an illegal immigrant, charged with the task of delivering him to a safe place while the mother heads off on a dangerous journey to find them a better life. It's a desperate last roll of the dice for her and she literally throws the child at him, hoping against hope that he will rise to the occasion while she goes off on her life and death bid for their freedom. There's a symbolic gesture of lights being turned out as time after time Marc has to make a choice between his old, self-centred, life and this new one being thrust upon him. He is slowly drawn into his new role, the two developing a deep relationship as they go, and meeting a few more people with needs and hurts of their own in more chance encounters along the way. It's a beautiful little tale of humanity as these four, as it turns out, main characters help each other deal with their problems just by rubbing along, thrown together by fate. Lovely film