Exil

Think about a situation where a standing ovation becomes a humiliation. Here our man goes through many similar instances with a deep suspicious heart which repeatedly questions his Albanian origin. From the first scene itself his musophobia is well narrated and the place where he works is having long narrow dim lighted corridors. There are shots in an elevator which clearly depicts his thoughts in a crowd. Though the story has a long time span we always see the characters in same attires (breaking a basic concept ! ). Everywhere he feels the loneliness and discrimination. Towards the end mysteries have been solved in a different angle. But in the last shot he is still waiting for entry to a hall.

Working at a corporate concern, Exile was instantly relatable. Of a man (from Kosovo) settled and working in a foreign land (Germany) and enduring torment at workplace possibly because of his origins, the film cuts through systemic, casual xenophobia and identity crisis. How the man struggles to stay sane as he is continuously bullied and made realize that he is a foreign national and not exactly welcome in the country. The onslaught of familial pressure (a wife and three kids) does not help as he spirals into chaos supported by overthinking and self pity. It's wonderful how the camera is often cranked from the perspective of the man; literally shot from behind his ears with a close-up of all the perspiration that he is experiencing while just trying to exist. There's not a single fun moment in Exile even if you see a smiling face or two. And that's the power of Exile: a tense drama both socially relevant and captivating, no matter where you are. Grade B.

(Watched at the 2020 European Union Film Festival of India (EUFF).)