A Drowning Man

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.

An unfeigned portrayal of a day in the life of a refugee trying to survive in Athens. With the European refugee crisis capturing headlines all over the world in the past couple of years, it is rewarding to comprehend the subject with a human drama told in a non-sensationalised way like this one. It feels even more real (or maybe more relatable is the word) than news or documentary footages. Mahdi Fleifel is another aspiring director to watch out for from the new crop of talented filmmakers from the Middle East.

We are the team of the Internacional Film Festival of Bilbao "Cine Invisible" and we are very glad to have this short film within our film election for the festival. The story about the refugee in Athens make you feel the problem and the situation very intensly. There are great pictures among the film and the quality is high. These type of creations could make people change their mind and realise how the world in going on like.

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.

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!!!