Movies Like The Intouchables

Frequently asked about The Intouchables

Common questions people search for, with answers written by us at MoviesPack.

• How did Philippe become paralyzed?▾

  Philippe was injured in a paragliding accident that left him tetraplegic, meaning he has no movement or sensation from the shoulders down. The film references this backstory but does not show the accident on screen. The injury preceded the events of the film and is simply the established reality of Philippe's life when Driss enters it.

• Why does Philippe hire Driss over more qualified candidates?▾

  Philippe deliberately chooses Driss partly because Driss is the only candidate who treats him as a man rather than a patient — showing no pity, no reverence, and no discomfort around his disability. Philippe is exhausted by caregivers who coddle him, and Driss's blunt, irreverent attitude signals that their relationship will be one of equals. There is also an implied sense that Philippe wants to be challenged and provoked back into engaging with life.

• Who is Éléonore, and why does Philippe never meet her in person?▾

  Éléonore is a woman Philippe has been corresponding with by letter for months, developing a deep emotional connection without ever meeting face to face. Philippe avoids arranging a meeting because he fears that once she sees his wheelchair and the full reality of his disability, the romantic possibility will collapse. His reluctance is rooted in shame and self-protection rather than disinterest, and it is Driss who eventually pushes him to call her.

• What happens at the end of the film, and do Philippe and Éléonore actually meet?▾

  Near the end, Driss — having left Philippe's employment to help his family — tracks Philippe down, who has become withdrawn and depressed under a new caregiver. Driss drives Philippe to a seaside restaurant and arranges for Éléonore to be there, effectively orchestrating their first in-person meeting before slipping away. The final scene and an epilogue text card (the film is based on a true story) confirm that Philippe and Éléonore did go on to form a relationship.

• Why does Driss leave Philippe's service mid-film, and what brings him back?▾

  Driss leaves because his aunt asks him to return home to help manage his troubled younger cousin Adama, who is falling in with a dangerous crowd. He does not abandon Philippe out of boredom or conflict — the departure is framed as a competing family obligation. He comes back not for pay but out of genuine concern after learning that Philippe has deteriorated emotionally without him, illustrating that the bond between them has become one of real friendship rather than employment.