Movie Review: Limbo Shows Such A Place Exists Internally
There is a dual concept of an immigrant. There is the prejudiced image of them as “invaders” trying to steal jobs and corrupt civil society. Then, there is the image of the honorable hard- worker who dedicates his or her life to service jobs, like maid or farm worker, humbly thankful that they even have money, food, or a place for their family. What both images lack is the depth of humanity, particularly in terms of dreams. “Limbo” is the story of a Syrian refugee/ musician trying to find his music “mojo” after being displaced from his old home but not, necessarily, embraced in his new one. Hence, he is an emotional Limbo as much as a physical one.
The first thing I loved about Limbo was its immediate challenge to the idea that immigrants can’t or don’t have dreams for themselves, as if a place is the dream rather than a state of being. This theme recurs as we meet a group refugees in Hebrides, Scotland. Amir El Masry’s Omar is clearly depressed, and the film finds its dark humor over the very raw and grim reality that most of its characters fled their homes not because they did not love their people or culture, but because of WAR! Jokes are based on terrible losses like the idea of your home getting bombed or a coalition taking your family. Vikash Bhai plays Farhad: an immigrant whom has settled into Hebrides but also in his understanding that your heart can be in two places at once. These refugees would have loved to stay in their home country, but mass poverty, violence, and famine tore them from what they loved: home. So what becomes of dreams?
Omar longs for his family, fantasizes of his his time as a celebrated musician, ponders about the beautiful garden in his once-house, and wonders if he can find the inspiration to play his oud when he now lives a life he could have never imagined. Syria and Scotland are different in many ways. From weather to traditions, the differences are palpable for Omar, of which Masry is an excellent lead. He marks the longing behind the seen resilience, and the tragic acceptance that, no matter the blame, one still loses. Yes, civil war has disrupted Syria, and political forums and opinions can run rampant, but, in the end, it won’t change that all Omar has of his old life is his oud and occasional calls to his mom for a recipe and a check-in. How an entire life can be gone with only an music instrument left to remember it is, in part, why Omar struggles to gain the inner peace to play in his new home, in front of his “new people” like, the hilarious Kenneth Collard’s Boris and Sidse Babett Knudsen’s Helga. Both characters become emblems of the clash between assimilation and simply opening up to new ways of living as Omar tries to come to terms that, in order to find a semblance of joy, he has to build roots in his new home.
Recently nominated for two BAFTA® awards for Best British Film and Best Debut by a British Writer, Director, and Producer, Ben Sharrock has written centered around the empathy we hope others show to us if we lose our home, family, and all that we knew and loved versus the empathy we need to have for ourselves at dealing with such grief. As Omar picks up his oud again, you see that it is okay to miss what you had, but a human thrives/ survives by embracing what they have, even if it is just a song in their heart that they want to play in their small town’s open mic. Limbo comes out On VOD April 30.
