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"Friendship has no borders. True love has no limits."

2009 1h 50m FR

👍

7.2

SOLID

🍅

87%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.5

IMDB

★7.2TMDB · 266🍅87%Rotten Tomatoes●61Metacritic★7.5IMDB · 7,728

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Bilal is 17 years old, a Kurdish boy from Iraq. He sets off on an adventure-filled journey across Europe. He wants to get to England to see his love who lives there. Bilal finally reaches Calais, but how do you cover 32 kilometers of the English Channel when you can't swim? The boy soon discovers that his trip won't be as easy as he imagined... The community of struggling illegal aliens in Calais

“Friendship has no borders. True love has no limits.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Vincent Lindon
Simon
Firat Ayverdi
Bilal
Audrey Dana
Marion
Olivier Rabourdin
Le lieutenant de police
Derya Ayverdi
Mîna
Yannick Renier
Alain
Thierry Godard
Bruno
Jean-Paul Comart
Le gradé chez Simon

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Philippe Lioret
Writers: Emmanuel Courcol, Olivier Adam, Emmanuel Courcol
Languages: Turkish, French, English, Kurdish
Countries: France, United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 17 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: Turkish, French, English, Kurdish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Philippe Lioret, shot by Laurent Dailland. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Nicola Piovani. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Andrea Sedláčková shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Vincent Lindon and Firat Ayverdi and Audrey Dana carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Friendship has no borders. True love has no limits.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Philippe Lioret directs. Laurent Dailland behind the camera. Nicola Piovani scores. Andrea Sedláčková cuts. Produced in France, United Kingdom. Dialogue in Turkish, French, English, Kurdish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 17 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 4 languages: Turkish, French, English, Kurdish.
3International production across 2 countries: France, United Kingdom.
4Directed by Philippe Lioret, shot by Laurent Dailland. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Nicola Piovani. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Andrea Sedláčková shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Vincent Lindon and Firat Ayverdi and Audrey Dana carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Friendship has no borders. True love has no limits.".
9IMDB entry: tt1314280 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.