blumdeluxe "Bienvenue à Marly-Gomont" deals with the mayor of a small village in France, who has been searching for a doctor to run his office in his hometown for years. When he meets a young African student of medicine, he hesitates to offer him the job but finally agrees to test the waters. What follows is a story of stereotypes, racism, mutual understanding and warmth. First of all I think that the choice to make a film out of the biography of this special man is a right one. It's one of those most people never heard of but one that can evoke questions and possibly even changes. Personally, I am not a huge fan of the film's attempts to be a part-time comedy because they take a bit of its magic away. Instead, I would have preferred a more sensere approach, to support the rollercoaster of feelings this family had to face. But otherwise time flies by watching this movie and it is sometimes good to tell a story of hope in somehow desperate times.All in all this is a solid film with a beautiful background that sows that integration is tough on both sides but can create true beauty and strong bonds.

anelia_koleva Absolutely loved this charming and light-hearted satire! A lovely family friendly perspective on race and living as an immigrant in an unwelcoming community. The daily challenges that the main characters face make for a touching tale that will make you laugh and cry.As an expat myself, I can definitely relate on a personal level with the incredibly truthful way this film portrays the challenges of trying to immerse within a new and very different society.

romjansen The African Doctor nicely depicts the struggle in which a late 20th century African immigrant may find himself while trying to settle in provincial Europe. The cultural clashes are very funny to watch, but sometimes they seem a bit overdone. Nonetheless I think the struggle hits pretty close to reality. Without being a depressing movie, The African Doctor delivers quite a touching story.

Greg Nelson Summary: A medical student in Paris, originally from Africa (Zaire/Congo, to be specific), turns down the opportunity to return to his homeland and work for the ruling kleptocracy. Instead, in pursuit of French residency, he agrees to set up a practice in a small town in rural France. Hilarity ensues.No, really. Believe it or not, the film is largely a comedy. The writers (including the real-life son of the main character) made a clear choice to make this film as light-hearted as possible. Frankly, that was a stiff challenge. The film could easily have been far darker. Perhaps it should have been - but that would be a different film.Dr. Zantoko (Marc Zinga in an impressive, enjoyable performance) takes on xenophobia, racism, annoying in-laws, marital strife, parenthood, unpaid bills, and small-town politics, rarely letting any of it get him down.Zantoko's family (Aissa Maiga, Bayron Lebli, and Medina Diarra) also turn in winning performances.I was less enamored with the performances of the townspeople. But that is probably colored by the negative characteristics they were called on to exhibit. So maybe they gave great performances??? (FWIW, Jonathan Lambert did a great job as the smarmy, back-stabbing politician.)If I'm going to criticize something, it's the redemption arc for the town itself. This film tries to pull that off, with some unlikely deus-ex-machina events bringing everyone together for the happy ending.I get it - the makers wanted an upbeat, feel-good film. Thing is, I've seen plenty of films where the charming, off-beat townsfolk eventually come together with the heroic outsider. Here, the film only made half the sale - I bought the family, but not the town. The townspeople here aren't charming or off-beat - they're just xenophobic imbeciles. And frankly, if they were anything close to what was shown here, they DIDN'T deserve Dr. Zantoko, in the film or in real life. But don't let that criticism steer you away. All in all, this was an enjoyable view into worlds that you don't see in American cinema at all, and only rarely in French cinema.