Watches
September 19, 2021
A very pure documentary. Rather than a director seeking out a subject and documenting someone else's story, this is the subject himself deciding to document his own journey. It's a promising premise alright, but the result is lacking, mostly because the trip is somewhat underwhelming.
After fruitless attempts to be accepted as political refugees, Hassan and his family are forced to flee Afghanistan. The Taliban put a price on Hassan's head and staying there is simply too dangerous. It prompts him to shoot his own trip to Europe, a first-hand account of the hurdles that illegal refugees have to overcome.
There's a lot of waiting and quite a bit of bureaucratic hassle to go though. The documentary feels genuine and Hassan's family are a pleasant bunch, but the trip itself isn't that interesting and 90 minutes feels like a stretch. Might be instructive for people who care more about the subject, I didn't get much from this film though.