Limbo

Almost turned into Aki Kaurismaki's pupil, the Scottish director manages to create a fun, moving and profound story about the refugee drama. That sarcastic look that places a group of refugees on some remote Scottish islands where nothing happens except the ups and downs of the weather, creates a story that is humorous but slowly turns to melancholy. The same one that the protagonist has, anchored in a limbo that is physical, but above all, vital.

A tale of those lost in seemingly perpetual transition, left in the dark, outcast, isolated and alone, as the dehumanising process of asylum seeking is dissected with great humour, empathy, sorrow and loss - outstanding!

I came across this film and I felt intrigued to see it and I'm glad I did. This film is so beautifully made and is very touching and moving. The story follows the young Syrian Omar (Amir El-Masry) who ends up in a remote Scottish island until he finds out if he's granted asylum. He lives with three other immigrants from other nationalities and they live in a small house in the middle of nowhere, while they attend cultural awareness sessions to develop their social skills. Omar doesn't say much, but his eyes says it all. He feels alone and out of place, while he's an aspiring musician who plays the oud, he never played since he left Syria, and due to a hand injury he remains unable to play. He calls his parents over the phone, where they tell him about their struggle as well, as they live in Turkey, while his brother Nabil remains in Syria to fight for his country. Omar feels that he's not good enough as his brave brother who wasn't afraid to stay in his war-torn country, while he's haunted by his father's words who keeps reminding him " a musician who doesn't play, is a dead man". Omar struggles with his memories of his life with his family back home, where they used to grow apricots and sing old songs, and he used to play oud in front of audience. But now he just wanders the open roads and fields, and he just talks with his roommate Farhad, who's been waiting for more than two years for his asylum claim. Omar walks everywhere with his oud case which was given to him by his grandfather, maybe because he doesn't want to lose it, as it's the only thing he has left that reminds him of his old life. The film has a lot of other moving stories related to the other immigrants and Omar's relationship with his brother, as all of them highlight how cruel it is for any refugee who's forced to leave his country and venture into the unknown, while leaving his loved ones behind and facing a world he doesn't recognize or belong to. The writer and director Ben Sharrock was able to capture the inner feelings of an Arab in a foreign country, and the Cinematography of the vast landscape with very beautiful. Also the depiction of Arab songs was lovely especially the song in the end titles by Magda El Romi. This is one of those rare films that is so human and it's brilliance lies in its simplicity yet it has such great emotional depth. Finally Amir El-Masry is such a talented actor, who could be the next Rami Malek, who knows.

I really enjoyed this film. The cinematography is outstanding and beutiful. Some shots are so beautiful it's worth a second watch just to appreciate them. Please watch this movie!

Limbo is a very tough watch. It explores the lives of asylum seekers who await the outcome of their applications while housed on a remote Scottish island. Which as you can imagine is a saddening subject matter.

Despite these overall notes of despair and sadness, this film is injected with numerous moments of warmth and hope, and even humour. It is perfectly played with a sharp and smart script and stunning cinematography.

The characters, particularly the lead Omar, are very well written. The acting from Amir El Masry in this lead role was great. A very accomplished performance.

A great film and a perfect execution of a concept that could have been awfully misjudged.