''Illegal'' (french: Illégal) is a 2010 Belgian

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Olivier Masset-Depasse Olivier Masset-Depasse is a Belgian film director and screenwriter. He made his feature-length debut in 2006 with ''Cages''. In 2010, he wrote and directed ''Illegal'', which premiered at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for eight ...

. The film was selected as the Belgian entry for the

Best Foreign Language Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

at the

83rd Academy Awards The 83rd Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2010 in the United States and took place on February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beg ...

, but it did not make the final shortlist. The film received eight nominations at the 1st Magritte Awards, winning

Best Actress Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress awar ...

for

Anne Coesens Anne Coesens (born 1966) is a Belgium, Belgian actress. She studied at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels and the CNSAD, National Superior Conservatory of Dramatic Arts in Paris and works in theatre. She also appears in films – her credits incl ...

and Best Supporting Actress for

Christelle Cornil Christelle Cornil (born 28 August 1977) is a Belgian actress. Her acting credits include ''Le Vélo de Ghislain Lambert'', '' Soeur Sourire'', ''Illegal'', '' Mr. Average'', '' Beauties at War'', ''Julie & Julia'', '' OSS 117: Lost in Rio'', ''My ...

. The film is critical of practices of Belgian immigration officers.

Plot

The film follows Tania and her 13-year-old son Ivan, two illegal

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

n aliens living in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. After being denied Belgian permanent residence, Tania deliberately burns her fingers to remove her fingerprints and avoid identification. Tania advises her Belarusian friend Zina to apply for political asylum, since

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...

is considered a dictatorship by Belgians, but Zina seems to dismiss Tania's advice. Tania is caught, but she tells Ivan to run. She refuses to tell her name, hoping to be released after 5 months, as she is told by another illegal. Ivan comes to live with Zina. Tania is eager to start working in the detention center to earn money to phone him from time to time. Ivan wants to start working to earn his living. However, Tania is worried that it will be criminal work. Ivan wants to visit her, but she does not want that, it could make things worse. Authorities threaten to put her in jail for two years for giving a false name when applying for medical insurance. Desperate, Tania identifies as Zina and applies for political asylum, as a Belarusian. But then she is surprised to learn that Zina has already asked for asylum before, in Poland. Eventually Tania (as Zina) is forced into a plane to be deported to Poland. However, other passengers protest, and she is taken off the plane. After being beaten on her way back to the detention center, she awakens in a hospital, and manages to escape the sleeping guard, to finally reunite with her son Ivan.

Cast

as Tania * Alexandre Golntcharov as Ivan *

as Lieve *

Frédéric Frenay Frédéric and Frédérick are the French versions of the common male given name Frederick. They may refer to: In artistry: * Frédéric Back, Canadian award-winning animator * Frédéric Bartholdi, French sculptor * Frédéric Bazille, Impress ...

as Policier 1 *

Esse Lawson Esse may refer to: Places * Essé, a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department, Brittany, northwestern France * Esse, Charente, a commune in the Charente department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France * Esse, Cameroon, a town and commune ...

as Aissa *

Olivier Schneider Olivier is the French form of the given name Oliver. It may refer to: * Olivier (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Olivier (surname), a list of people * Château Olivier, a Bordeaux winery *Olivier, Louisiana, a rural popul ...

as Policier 2 *

Shirley Rumierk Shirley Rumierk () is an American actress known for her role as Vanessa Suarez in ''Rise'' and as Autumn Cox in ''Manifest''. Early life and education Shirley Rumierk was born and brought up in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, New York City. Rumierk ...

as Maribel Chacon

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Illegal 2010 films 2010 drama films Belgian drama films 2010s French-language films Films about immigration French-language Belgian films

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links