A Drowning Man

In "A drowning man", Mahdi Fleifel shows a day in the life of a Palestinian immigrant living in Greece. The action starts with the basic human needs, the character just wants to get some money to eat and buy cigarettes. Until he gets it, the director builds a tale of desperation but without falling on a miserabilist nor melodramatic perspective. It's a great short to watch another way of portraying immigration, different from the one shown by big media.

This is one of the best angles I've seen on the global refugee crisis. Watch it, it's 15 minutes but its impact is stronger than many feature length films.

A quiet, introspective short about the daily life of a young Palestinian man's struggle to make it through daily life as a refugee in Athens.

Far more is conveyed to us through what isn't said, and what isn't shown directly, than what is seen or told through dialogue. The musical cues, environmental sounds, and quietness of each moment tells us far more than any spoken words could tell us without feeling unwieldy.

Though it's 7 years old at the time of this review, it still feels more relevant then any sensationalised news story, and does a lot more to help humanise the struggle faced by refugees everywhere, not just in Athens and not just of Palestinian descent.

"A Drowning Man" is one of the last shorts made by prolific Dubai filmmaker Mahdi Fleifel, and the one that certainly proves that he is more than ready to take the leap towards his first feature.

The subject is poignant -a day in the life of a refugee in Athens who navigates public spaces in search of food and cigarettes- and couldn't be more relevant, regarding the refugee crisis that Europe is living nowadays.

Fleifel shots the main character always on the move, through a restless but controlled camera work that allows the viewer to get into the atmosphere and timing, and to really feel what he is striving for: not only cigarettes but a real escape to the oppressive situation.

Finally, "A Drowning Man" remains as the depiction of a brief but powerful slice of life, and also as a powerful depiction of dignity versus abuse in the context of an urgent situation.

Mahdi Fleifel's latest short is an powerful description of the what it means to survive as a refugee in a foreign country. Great actors, strong script and incredible cinematography. Highly recommended!!!