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A well made movie, great acting. However, very depressing. It is certainly not entertaining unless one is cynic and sadistically inclined. So where is the message to make it worthwhile? We will know that for some of us, perhaps most of mankind, life is on ongoing hassle and torture, without much relieve in sight. So, what is the purpose of this film? Good acting alone does not cut it to endure this torture. There is nothing new to learn from it, in my opinion. Give me yours, may be I missed something.
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Yeah thats the thing with foreign films. They're kinda like 'dramatic documentaries'. All you're doing is just observing an excerpt from someone's life story; and as the viewer, you're richer from the experience by having a new insight into what it's like to have to deal with something; disease, poverty, war, isolation, oppression etc. They usually deal with deeper topics and it's not always going to have a resolution. It's not like Western films which are meant to entertain with a beginning, middle and end/resolution. When foreign films tell a story - they REALLY tell a story. Hope that helps.
I've learned that you either gotta think really critically to get the meaning out of a foreign film; or just accept that it's a bit voyeuristic - you're just meant to watch someone's story. There are foreign films that win big nominations and awards but have no real 'moral to the story', e. g. Paris, The Secret in their Eyes, Malena etc. For this one, if I had to guess, maybe the message was that we should not assume that impoverished people are lazy (that's what a lot people assume) Look at each of those groups (the Senegalese, the Chinese, the local citizens) On the surface, they all seem like hustlers - but they all had families they were trying to support at the end of the day - and at great risk. Maybe we're supposed to take away that we shouldn't always judge people at face value.