CH.FILM

L'escale France, Switzerland 2013 – 100min.

Movie Rating

L'escale

Movie Rating: Patricia Imhof

A look at the lives of Iranian migrants who “scale the walls” into Athens, which are rife with danger, anguish and hope.

A regular at festivals, Iranian-Swiss director Kaveh Bakhtiari spent three months with his Iranian cousin in Athens, who fled his country to emigrate to Europe in search of a better life. His journey was a nightmare: almost drowning on his way to the island of Samos, he was arrested by the Greek police. But he wasn’t safe yet. He still had to find a place to live, something to eat, a way to stay clean and to make new contacts. Despite experiencing great disappointment, the young man still dreams, against a backdrop of huge freighters lining the majestic harbor of Piraeus, of continuing his journey towards more merciful horizons...

A winner at Cannes, this documentary about Iranian migrants offers a look at those caught in the net of (anti-)immigration officials. A meticulous examination of the living conditions of the unfortunate, a magnificent call for support for the uprooted, with some beautiful moments of shared camaraderie.

31.12.2020

3

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