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Samba

Samba

Drama · Comedy · 2014

Samba migrated to France 10 years ago from Senegal, and has since been plugging away at various lowly jobs. Alice is a senior executive who has recently undergone a burnout. Both struggle to get out of their dead-end lives. Samba's willing to do whatever it takes to get working papers, while Alice tries to get her life back on track until fate draws them together.

Movie details

Samba

“Sometimes those with nothing have the most to lose.”

2014 Drama · Comedy 1h 58m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.3 / 10

Community rating

Samba migrated to France 10 years ago from Senegal, and has since been plugging away at various lowly jobs. Alice is a senior executive who has recently undergone a burnout. Both struggle to get out of their dead-end lives. Samba's willing to do whatever it takes to get working papers, while Alice tries to get her life back on track until fate draws them together.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Samba?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Éric Toledano · Olivier Nakache

Written by

Olivier Nakache · Éric Toledano

Omar Sy

Omar Sy

Samba Cissé

Charlotte Gainsbourg

Charlotte Gainsbourg

Alice

Tahar Rahim

Tahar Rahim

Walid aka Wilson

Izïa Higelin

Izïa Higelin

Manu

Issaka Sawadogo

Issaka Sawadogo

Jonas Karanoto

Hélène Vincent

Hélène Vincent

Marcelle

Youngar Fall

Youngar Fall

Lamouna, Samba's uncle

Court is in session

Put Samba on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.