#Limbo film 2021 movie#

He usually sports a blue skiing jacket and a pair of khakis, but he (nearly) always wears the same glum face. This downer symbolism and stark reality blankets dozens of one-on-one exchanges that sometimes double as confessionals, as we learn about Omar’s and his compadres’ histories and explanations for attempting this impossible migration.įor Omar, he’s a musician and plays the oud (a type of guitar), but he’s lost his desire to perform.

#Limbo film 2021 movie#

The movie visually expresses that it’s a cold, cruel world out there with no obvious route towards salvation, and our heroes (and we) deeply feel it. They could be leaning against a wall, standing at a bus stop, or calling on a pay phone, and the great, spacious outdoors dominates as a looming, unforgiving co-star. Sharrock films his subjects with straight-on long shots, where his protagonists are small features within the frame. While Omar, Farhad, brothers Wasef (Ola Orebiyi) and Abedi (Kwabena Ansah), and others sit in limbo, their environment doesn’t offer much reprieve, stimulus, or any path towards joy. Omar pops in one day and asks for sumac spice, but he might as well inquire about a Northern Californian wine, a Tesla sedan, or a one-way plane ticket to London.Īlthough this modest, sparse colony has some quirky charm, Sharrock’s setting of never-ending barren space - with an occasional domicile to lodge our lingering British-applicants – resembles a depressed Wes Anderson setting, one in desperate need of a humongous dose of Zoloft or maybe an array of pink and purple windmills. It does have a convenience store, but one with few creature comforts. Not on this isle because no such metropolitan districts exist. You won’t find a Starbucks on every corner. How far north? Omar, Farhad, and about two dozen others are waiting on the 57th parallel at a locale with barren, rocky grasslands that may resemble Washington’s Palouse commingled with gloomy, dormant volcanic buttes.

In 2021, we live in a world of instant gratification, but the United Kingdom’s official “like” on his request doesn’t seem imminent, especially when his friend Farhad (Vikash Bhai), an Afghan native, has been stuck at this far northern outpost for 32 months and five days. In “Limbo”, Omar (Amir El-Masry), a 20-something Syrian refugee, wishes to reside in the U.K., but he’s stranded on a desolate Scottish island while waiting for his paperwork to clear.

Writer/director Ben Sharrock’s eccentric dramedy is a notable immigrant story, but one with a twist. Naturally, the United States hasn’t cornered the market on immigration narratives, and “Lorna’s Silence” (2008) and “Monsieur Lazhar” (2011) - set in Belgium and Montreal, respectively - are two more of this critic’s favorites. The Sullivan family had their troubles in “In America” (2002), and so did Carlos Galindo (Damian Bichir) in the aptly named “A Better Life” (2011), as he hoped for a better one.Įven though the on-screen leads wrestle with acceptance, they usually throw themselves into the foreign ecosystems, jockey for some footing, and attempt to survive and thrive. Look to “Minari” (2020) and “Brooklyn” (2015) as recent examples. While the homeland may become enriched, many times, the aforementioned residents do individually struggle to find their way. Kennedy said, “Everywhere, immigrants have enriched and strengthened the fabric of American life.” In the U.S., we rightfully boast about our immigrant roots, and President John F. These stories are commonplace threads within societies’ fabrics, and the protagonists face built-in conflicts simply by existing in their newfound environments. Immigrant feature films frequently land in theatres and streaming services for probably a couple of reasons. Don’t wait to see ‘Limbo’, an unconventional immigrant story