Chasing Freedom

Enough has been said about the quality of the acting in this film so I won't add to that other than to say that it doesn't bother me if an actress portraying a New Yorker under stress doesn't talk very, very very fast - I'd rather be able to understand her lines! I just wanted to say that those who think that the inhumanity of the INS service or the lack of compassion of the officers and judges was overplayed have never been inside an immigration courtroom or had any dealings with the immigration service. In that respect the film was depressingly accurate. It saddens me that in the quest to 'protect' ourselves from those without legitimate requests for asylum, we have to treat everyone so appallingly, with representation that barely passes any reasonable competency test, as if the majority of asylees haven't suffered enough. Asylum seekers have, more often than not, barely escaped from their countries with their lives and the clothes on their back and they get treated like criminals. Some would say that it's shameful.

I'm just sorry that this film didn't make theatres and isn't required viewing for the general public.

This movie was a pretty good watch. Having been in Afghanistan, and Iraq this movie brought the situation out loud and clear to my wife. She needed to see this. The movie does seek show sympathy with the persons seeking asylum and doesn't show the INS in a good light. But, the process was and is necessary. I didn't see them as evil, I would have done the same.

Look at the movie for what it was intended, a drama, and don't take it as an affront to our immigration system. If you do, you will like it.

This topical film portrays a true story based on the life of an Afghanistan immigrant who arrived in the US without the proper papers. As a result, she must withstand the many trials and tribulations in the U.S. court system to win asylum in the United States. With the Taliban in control in her home country, she fears for her life should she be deported. The corporate lawyer assigned to this pro bono case is Juliette Lewis while Layla Alizad plays the young woman seeking asylum. Both actors gave performances with great bravada, each displaying fortitude in the face of adversity. Their work in this Court TV movie should be recognized and I hope that Court TV continues to make original films of such quality. The film is definitely worth a looksee. It's timely and about as well written as just about any other tv movie out there, well directed and well acted.

I agree with the poster below that the INS makes the decisions that it needs to make based on the facts presented, and that in the movie, the asylum-seeking process is made much more difficult for the main character because of the fact that she'd disposed of her identification papers back in Afghanistan. However, I don't think this weakens the movie at all. I think it added an important dimension to it by showing that the asylum-seeking process is difficult, even for people who are deserving of asylum, because it's necessary to weed out terrorists and other potential bad apples. The movie didn't come across to me as liberally biased at all.

I agree that Lewis' character was a little over the top, but overall I thought the movie was very well done.

This was a fictionalized, but based on true events, account of a hard edged young corporate lawyer (Juliette Lewis, very good in an atypical role) taking the responsibility to defend an asylum seeker from Afghanistan. Movies like this at times too often focus on the star, but there are enough scenes about the asylum seeker's life back in Afghanistan and struggles in detention that it was overall a balanced account. The newcomer playing the asylum seeker was not very expressive at times, but was very good too.

A touching, heartfelt movie that has a predictable message, but is well put together and not just your average movie of the week sort of movie. We even have some sympathy for the government, in theory one of the heavies of the movie, suggesting the balance provided. The Taliban doesn't come off well though ... no shock there! For instance, a major plot point is the need for proof of identity, which on its face doesn't really seem to be that unjust for the government to be concerned about. Court TV did a good job with this one.