There's a simple reason that the filmmaking Belgian brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardennes keep casting Olivier Gourmet (The Promise, The Son, etc.) in their films: the bespectacled Gourmet is a rumpled sort of Everyman, and an excellent actor to boot. French Canadian filmmaker Philippe Falardeau's Congorama begins in Gourmet's native Belgium. Father to junior tennis player Jules (Arnaud Mouithys) and husband to café proprietor Alice (Claudia Tagbo), who is a refugee from the Republic of Congo, Michel (Gourmet) works as an engineer, but aspires to be an inventor. Also living with Michel is his ailing father, novelist Hervé (the late Jean-Pierre Cassel), who one day unexpectedly informs Michel (whose birth coincided with the Congorama exhibit at the 1958 Brussels Fair) that he was adopted. Traveling to Montreal to seek out his biological parents, Michel is unable to locate any “Legrands,” but a local priest (Gabriel Arcand) introduces him to a diamond grader named Louis Legros (Paul Ahmaranhi), the son of an inventor. Coincidences soon pile up, but Congorama—which won a Canadian Genie for its inventive screenplay—is definitely a trip worth taking. Highly recommended. (K. Fennessy)
Congorama
Facets, 105 min., in French w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $29.95 Volume 23, Issue 3
Congorama
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: