Untouchable: the true story that inspired a box office hit ..!

Not to be confused with The Untouchables (film).

The Intouchables (French: Intouchables, UK: Untouchable) is a 2011 French comedy-drama film directed by Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano.

It stars François Cluzet and Omar Sy. Nine weeks after its release in France on 2 November 2011, it became the second biggest box office hit in France,
just behind the 2008 film Welcome to the Sticks. The film was voted the cultural event of 2011 in France with 52% of votes in a poll by Fnac.
The film has received several award nominations. In France, the film was nominated for eight César Awards and earned Omar Sy the César Award for Best Actor.

Plot

At night in Paris, Driss is driving Philippe's Maserati at high speed. They are chased through the streets by the police, and eventually cornered.
Driss claims the quadriplegic Philippe must be urgently driven to the emergency room; Philippe pretends to have a stroke and the fooled police
officers escort them to the hospital.

The story of the friendship between the two men is then told as a flashback: Philippe, a rich quadriplegic who owns a luxurious mansion,
and his assistant Magalie, are interviewing candidates to be his live-in caregiver. Driss, a candidate, has no ambitions to get hired.
He is just there to get a signature showing he was interviewed and rejected in order to continue to receive his welfare benefits. He is told
to come back the next morning to get his signed letter.

The next day, Driss returns and learns that he is on a trial period for the live-in caregiver job. Despite his disinterest and lack of professional
experience, Driss does well caring for Philippe, even if his methods are unconventional. Driss learns the extent of Philippe's disability
and accompanies Philippe in every moment of his life, assisting him in all the ways needed. A friend of Philippe's reveals Driss's criminal
record which includes six months in jail for robbery. Philippe states he does not care about Driss's past because he is the only one that
does not treat him with pity. He says he will not fire him as long as he does his job properly.

Philippe discloses to Driss that he became disabled following a paragliding accident and that his wife died without bearing children. Gradually,
Philippe is led by Driss to put some order in his private life, including being stricter with his adopted daughter Elisa. Driss discovers
modern art, opera, and even takes up painting. For Philippe's birthday, a private concert of classical music is performed in his living room.
After the concert Driss plays Earth, Wind & Fire's "Boogie Wonderland" and Philippe has a birthday that is not boring as the ones he has had in the past.


Driss discovers that Philippe has a purely epistolary relationship with a woman called Eléonore, who lives in Dunkirk.
Driss encourages him to meet her but Philippe fears her reaction when she discovers his disability. Driss eventually convinces Philippe to
talk to Eléonore on the phone. Philippe agrees with Driss to send a photo of him in a wheelchair to her, but he hesitates and asks his aide,
Yvonne, to send a picture of him as he was before his accident. A date between Eléonore and Philippe is agreed. At the last minute Philippe
is too scared to meet Eléonore and leaves with Yvonne before Eléonore arrives. Philippe then calls Driss and invites him to travel
with him in his private jet for a paragliding weekend.

Adama, Driss's younger cousin, who is in trouble with a gang, comes to fetch Driss at Phillipe's mansion on the pretext of delivering mail.
Overhearing, Philippe recognizes Driss' need to be supportive to his family and releases him from his job, suggesting he may
not want to push a wheelchair all his life.

Driss returns to his urban projects, joining his friends, and manages to help his younger cousin. In the meantime Philippe has hired caregivers
to replace Driss, but he isn't happy with any of them. His morale is very low and he stops taking care of himself. Yvonne becomes worried
and contacts Driss, who arrives and decides to drive Philippe in the Maserati, which brings the story back to the first scene of the film, the police chase.

After they have eluded the police, Driss takes Philippe to the seaside. Upon shaving and dressing elegantly, Philippe and Driss arrive at
a Cabourg restaurant with a great ocean view. Driss suddenly leaves the table and says good luck to Philippe for his lunch date.
A few seconds later, Eléonore arrives. Emotionally touched, Philippe looks through the window and sees Driss outside, smiling at him.
Driss bids Philippe farewell and walks away.

Background
The plot of the film is inspired by the true story of Philippe Pozzo di Borgo and his French-Algerian caregiver Abdel Sellou.



Directors Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache
with star Omar Sy at the 2012 Lumière Film Festival.



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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Intouchableshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Intouchables


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