12/27/2023 0 Comments Limbo movie timesIn the lead is Omar, played by a terrific, misty-tempered Amir El-Masry who wears the kind of melancholy Sharrock is after on his sleeve like a second skin. "Limbo" creates an earned sense of hazy sadness, specific to its desolate locale and the persons that inhabit it. Through a refreshing narrative angle that maintains its tight and modest focus on alienation, a thematic resolve supported by thoughtful visual compositions that prioritize negative space and isolation, Sharrock unearths the many absurdities of misplacement with great perceptiveness. It just engages with its characters’ pain differently than you might expect. It’s not that “Limbo” ignores despair altogether or dismisses the spiritual hurt that its displaced human beings, stuck on a remote Scottish island while awaiting resolution on their asylum cases, experience day in and day out. Indeed, within the world of movies that unfold around the international refugee crisis-a long catalog of features and non-fiction films of late that liberally and perhaps unavoidably lean into physical and psychological suffering-Sharrock’s tale feels almost like a small miracle with its defiant stance against exploitative hopelessness. But with his sophomore feature “ Limbo,” a humanistic, tenderly deadpan plunge into the psyche of a Syrian refugee, Scottish writer/director Ben Sharrock sidesteps potential hazards like a patronizing tone and cultural insensitivity with deft, delivering something insightful, genuine, and universally relatable. Starring Sidse Babett Knudsen, Kenneth Collard, Amir El-Masry, Vikash Bhai, Ola Orebiyi, Kwabena AnsahTrying for comedy inside the margins of the migrant crisis is playing with fire. With his second film, a hit at festivals around the world, Sharrock uses wit, sharp observation and a great cast to shed light on people whose individuality seldom receives the attention so tenderly shown here. In this state of limbo Omar and his friends somehow manage to maintain hope as their previous identities are gradually diminished. It's the kind of island where young people in a car accost Omar – saying he is a potential terrorist and rapist – and then offer him a lift to avoid the rain. The new arrivals are compelled to attend bizarre "cultural awareness" classes run by Helga (Sidse Babett Knudsen, THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY) and Boris (Kenneth Collard). So godforsaken is this island that one of Omar's flatmates says of the mobile reception: "You know, there was a better signal in the middle of the Mediterranean." And then there are the locals to deal with. Separated from his family, Omar shares a home with fellow refugees as they await word on their asylum requests. Promising young Syrian musician Omar is one of a group of refugees stuck on a remote Scottish island in this hilarious and poignant award-winner and BAFTA nominee. In Arabic and English with English subtitles.Playing as part of IN THE SHADE Film Festival Jan 20 - Feb 01.
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