Review | #Iamhere film review: Bae Doona in enjoyably absurd romantic comedy playing the object of a Frenchman’s desire
- Similar to Steven Spielberg’s The Terminal starring Tom Hanks, a French chef gets stranded at Seoul’s Incheon airport, leading to a string of misadventures
- Despite the ridiculous premise, it’s an enjoyable outing, fuelled by an obvious spirit of French joie de vivre and amiable characters
3/5 stars
Recalling Steven Spielberg’s The Terminal, in which Tom Hanks played an East European refugee marooned at New York’s JFK airport, Eric Lartigau’s #Iamhere sees a French chef become an unlikely internet sensation after he is stood up at Seoul’s Incheon airport.
Korean actress Bae Doona has a cameo as the protagonist’s elusive quarry of the in this well-meaning and intermittently successful romantic comedy.
Spielberg’s film was based on the true story of Iranian national Merhan Nasseri, who lived in immigration limbo at Charles de Gaulle airport for almost 18 years. Lartigau’s dilemma is far more innocuous, as Stéphane (Alain Chabat), a divorced restaurateur in the throes of a midlife crisis, jets off to Korea, hoping to meet Soo (Bae), a local painter with whom he has been flirting online. But when Soo fails to pick him up, Stéphane chooses to wait.
As he wanders the terminals of Incheon and encounters an assortment of travellers and staff, chronicling his exploits on Instagram, accompanied by the hashtag #jesuisla (“I am here”), his plight inadvertently goes viral. As hours become days, Stéphane becomes something of a local celebrity.