Snows Of Kilimanjaro

Despite losing his job, Michel lives happily with Marie-Claire. They have been in love for over thirty years. Their conscience is as clear as their view of life. This happiness will be shattered by two young men, armed and masked, who beat them, tie them up and snatch their money to go for a trip to Kilimanjaro.
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A group of families in Marseilles find ties of loyalty stretched to the maximum when lay-offs affect select factory workers. When a house invasion rips through the life of one of the laid-off men, he is compelled to get to the bottom of the incident and the revelations are both surprising and liberating.

Drama | Politics | Friendship | Family Relations
Programmer's Note
The only thing Neiges du Kilimandjaro shares with Ernest Hemingway’s short story is its title, for Robert Guédiguian’s beautifully conceived new film is set in the working-class district of l’Estaque in contemporary Marseille, the backdrop for so many of this filmmaker’s finest works. Indeed, the film uses as its inspiration Victor Hugo’s poem “How Good Are the Poor,” which captures the essence of this complex, modern tale and the current economic realities of downsizing and layoffs.

Michel is a hard-working, doggedly hon­est union rep who has the unenviable job of deciding who among his workers will be laid off. Settling on a lottery system, he puts his own name in the box and ends up out of a job. Michel finds himself facing the consequences of his moral position when he struggles to adapt to his new reality at home with his wife and to his dealings with his ex-workers. Family life keeps him going, but when Michel and his closest friends are subject to a violent home invasion and rob­bery, he finds his world turned upside down. The trauma of the incident ripples through his life, and he sets out to discover the iden­tity of his assailants. What he uncovers takes him back to his former workplace and forces him to confront his entire belief system. As the narrative unfolds, Guédiguian endlessly surprises us with a series of revelations, none of which feel contrived and all of which splendidly serve the issues raised by the film.

This is grand humanist filmmaking at its best, based on Guédiguian’s true love of all the characters in his film. Classically shot and presented, this politically astute film is drenched in the great tradition of Marcel Pagnol, Jean Renoir and thirties French cinema. It is also distinguished by note-perfect performances from Guédiguian’s regular team of collaborators, including actors Ariane Ascaride, Gérard Meylan and Jean-Pierre Darroussin. Writer Jean-Louis Milesi and cinematographer Pierre Milon equal their best work in this effective and rewarding film. Piers Handling

Director's Bio

Robert Guédiguian was born in Marseille and studied at l’Université d’Aix-en-Provence. His feature films are Dernier été (80), Rouge midi (84), Ki lo sa? (85), Dieu vomit les tièdes (89), L’argent fait le bon­heur (92), À la vie, à la mort! (95), Marius et Jeannette (96), À la place du coeur (98), À l’attaque! (99), La ville est tranquille (00), Marie-Jo et ses deux amours (02), Mon père est ingénieur (04), Le promeneur du champ de Mars (05), Le voyage en Arménie (06), Lady Jane (08), L’armée du crime (09) and Neiges du Kilimandjaro (11).