Based on the true story of French businessman Philippe Pozzo di Borgo and his caregiver Abdel Sellou, this film recounts the unlikely friendship between wealthy quadriplegic Philippe and his caregiver Driss, a young man from Paris\u2019 disenfranchised banlieues. The two meet when Philippe finds himself in need of a caregiver and conducting interviews to that purpose. Driss presents himself at the job interview not in search of employment, but rather seeking a signature attesting to the fact that he has attempted to find work and been unsuccessful, so that he can collect his job seeker\u2019s allowance. Philippe, feeling seen by Driss as an individual, rather than pitied, hires him despite his apparent lack of qualifications. As they come to care for and trust one another, each man turns the other\u2019s life around: Through Driss, who provides him with the companionship and proper care he has been lacking, Philippe rediscovers how to enjoy life for the first time since the death of his late wife, and the paragliding accident which left him disabled. Through caring for Philippe, Driss in turn develops a sense of responsibility. Eventually, Driss must return to his family, leaving Philippe, who becomes quite depressed in the absence of his friend and of the exceptional care Driss provided. Informed of Philippe\u2019s deteriorating mental condition, Driss takes Philippe on a road trip, cleans him up (shaving him etc.), and finally sets him up on a date with El\u00e9onore at the film\u2019s conclusion. El\u00e9onore, it is implied, will become the companion and caregiver who, like Driss, will make Philippe\u2019s life worth living.<\/p>
\u2018Intouchables\u2019 was incredibly successful worldwide. It won several international awards, and was nominated for many others. It was furthermore praised, in France, for its depictions of racial and class-based difference\u2014American critics, meanwhile, found it to be both lacking and superficial in this regard. While the film does not address the topic of assisted dying head on, it has been compared, in its depiction of disability, to the 2016 film \u2018Me Before You\u2019.<\/em> The films share similar premises, however, the paralyzed protagonist in \u2018Me Before You\u2019 <\/em>chooses, despite the love and care of his caregiver, to have an assisted death. <\/em>That Philippe chooses to live demonstrates, to the mind of Alex Bailey of \u2018The Conversation\u2019 \u2018that one can find meaning and satisfaction in spite of \u2013 if not through \u2013 disability,\u2019 as opposed to what Bailey reads as the \u2018pro-euthanasia subtext\u2019 of \u2018Me Before You\u2019. <\/em>Philippe Pozzo di Borgo was furthermore, up until his death in 2023, a vocal opponent of the legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide, sponsoring the French collective \u2018Soulager mais pas tuer\u2019 <\/em>as of 2014. He spoke at anti-assisted dying press conferences, arguing that the legalization of the practice would put pressure on disabled citizens to choose to die, rather than encourage them to find value and meaning in their lives with the help of proper care. \u2018Intouchables\u2019, as well as statements made by Philippe Pozzo di Borgo, have been cited in both the Assembl\u00e9e nationale and the Deutscher Bundestag in making arguments against the legalization of assisted dying and euthanasia in particular.\u00a0<\/p>","cover":{"ratio":0.70588235294117651630330101397703401744365692138671875,"url":"https:\/\/assistedlab.ch\/media\/pages\/visual\/intouchables\/42b5571b4f-1713881219\/screenshot-2024-02-06-at-10.08.17am-2410x-q90.png","caption":"@ dpa, Ziemlich beste Freunde, Badische Zeitung, 2018"},"toggles":[{"title":"Suggested citation","list":[{"text":"Intouchables, Assisted Lab\u2019s Living Archive of Assisted Dying, 18 March 2024 ","link":null,"pathname":null}]},{"title":"Reviews","list":[{"text":"Filmkritik \u2018Ziemlich beste Freunde\u2019, Frankfurter Rundschau, 2019","link":"https:\/\/www.fr.de\/kultur\/filmkritik-ziemlich-beste-freunde-11337596.html","pathname":"fr.de"},{"text":"Untouchable, The Independent, 2012","link":"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/arts-entertainment\/films\/reviews\/untouchable-15-8160904.html","pathname":"independent.co.uk"},{"text":"Intouchables, film fran\u00e7ais le plus vu dans le monde, Le Figaro, 2012","link":"https:\/\/www.lefigaro.fr\/cinema\/2012\/09\/10\/03002-20120910ARTFIG00434--intouchables-film-francais-le-plus-vu-dans-le-monde.php","pathname":"lefigaro.fr"},{"text":"Untouchable, review, The Telegraph, 2012","link":"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/culture\/film\/filmreviews\/9555377\/Untouchable-review.html","pathname":"telegraph.co.uk"},{"text":"Film Review: \u2018Untouchable\u2019, Variety, 2011","link":"https:\/\/variety.com\/2011\/film\/reviews\/untouchable-1117946269\/","pathname":"variety.com"},{"text":"\u2018Intouchables\u2019 Breaks Amelie\u2019s Decade-Long Hold On Admissions Record Outside France, Deadline, 2012","link":"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2012\/09\/intouchables-breaks-amelies-decade-long-hold-on-admissions-record-outside-france-333668\/","pathname":"deadline.com"},{"text":"\u2018Intouchables\u2019: derri\u00e8re la com\u00e9die populaire, une m\u00e9taphore sociale g\u00e9n\u00e9reuse, Le Monde, 2011","link":"https:\/\/www.lemonde.fr\/cinema\/article\/2011\/11\/01\/intouchables-derriere-la-comedie-populaire-une-metaphore-sociale-genereuse_1596827_3476.html","pathname":"lemonde.fr"},{"text":"Un film qui fait du bien, Le journal de Montr\u00e9al, 2011","link":"https:\/\/www.journaldemontreal.com\/2012\/04\/12\/un-film-qui-fait-du-bien","pathname":"journaldemontreal.com"},{"text":"French film Intouchables saluted for depicting life in the Paris suburbs, The Guardian, 2011","link":"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2011\/nov\/09\/intouchables-french-film-saluted","pathname":"theguardian.com"}]},{"title":"Media citations","list":[{"text":"Me Before You: life, disability and \u2018inspiration porn\u2019, The Conversation, 2016","link":"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/me-before-you-life-disability-and-inspiration-porn-60566","pathname":"theconversation.com"},{"text":"Intouchables: Touching on the legacies of French colonialism, The Globe and Mail, 2012","link":"https:\/\/www.theglobeandmail.com\/arts\/film\/intouchables-touching-on-the-legacies-of-french-colonialism\/article4223684\/","pathname":"theglobeandmail.com"},{"text":"Is Omar Sy an Uncle Tom? Race relations in America and France as seen through \u2018Les Intouchables\u2019, French Institute of International Relations, 2012","link":"https:\/\/www.ifri.org\/en\/publications\/editoriaux-de-lifri\/chroniques-americaines\/omar-sy-uncle-tom-race-relations-america-and","pathname":"ifri.org"}]},{"title":"Interest Group citations","list":[{"text":"L\u2019appel poignant de Philippe Pozzo di Borgo, Soulager mais pas tuer, 2021","link":"https:\/\/www.soulagermaispastuer.org\/lappel-poignant-de-philippe-pozzo-di-borgo\/","pathname":"soulagermaispastuer.org"},{"text":"Euthanasia Bill in France: A Poignant Appeal from Philippe Pozzo di Borgo, Allianace Vita, 2021","link":"https:\/\/www.alliancevita.org\/en\/2021\/04\/euthanasia-bill-in-france-a-poignant-appeal-from-philippe-pozzo-di-borgo\/","pathname":"alliancevita.org"},{"text":"Me Before You: why I\u2019m boycotting this film, Disability Horizons, 2016","link":"https:\/\/disabilityhorizons.com\/2016\/06\/me-before-you-why-im-boycotting-this-film\/","pathname":"disabilityhorizons.com"},{"text":"Apostolic movie recommendation: \u2018Untouchable\u2019 (2011), Catholiclink, 2011","link":"https:\/\/catholic-link.org\/apostolic-movie-recommendation-untouchable-2011\/","pathname":"catholic-link.org"}]},{"title":"Legal and Paralegal citations","list":[{"text":"Assembl\u00e9e nationale, XVe l\u00e9gislature, question no 38276, 20 April 2021","link":"https:\/\/questions.assemblee-nationale.fr\/q15\/15-38276QE.htm","pathname":"questions.assemblee-nationale.fr"},{"text":"Compte-rendu de la 2e s\u00e9ance du jeudi 08 avril 2021, Assembl\u00e9e nationale, XVe l\u00e9gislature, Session ordinaire de 2020-2021, n.236, 2021","link":"https:\/\/www.assemblee-nationale.fr\/dyn\/15\/comptes-rendus\/seance\/session-ordinaire-de-2020-2021\/deuxieme-seance-du-jeudi-08-avril-2021","pathname":"assemblee-nationale.fr"},{"text":"Compte-rendu de la 3e s\u00e9ance du jeudi 01 f\u00e9vrier 2018, Asembl\u00e9e nationale, XVe l\u00e9gislature, Session ordinaire de 2017-2018, n.133, 2018","link":"https:\/\/www.assemblee-nationale.fr\/dyn\/15\/comptes-rendus\/seance\/session-ordinaire-de-2017-2018\/troisieme-seance-du-jeudi-01-fevrier-2018","pathname":"assemblee-nationale.fr"},{"text":"Deutscher Bundestag, Plenarprotokoll 18\/134, 134. Sitzung, 6 November 2015, p. 13071","link":"https:\/\/dserver.bundestag.de\/btp\/18\/18134.pdf","pathname":"dserver.bundestag.de"},{"text":"Compte-rendu int\u00e9grale de la 1\u00e8re s\u00e9ance du mercredi 21 Janvier 2015, Assembl\u00e9e nationale, XIVe l\u00e9gislature, Session ordinaire de 2014-2015, n.113, 2015","link":"https:\/\/www.assemblee-nationale.fr\/14\/cri\/2014-2015\/20150113.asp","pathname":"assemblee-nationale.fr"}]}]}