Review: To a Land Unknown at IFFO

Synopsis
A Palestinian refugee living on the fringes of society in Athens gets ripped off by a smuggler and sets out to seek revenge.

To a Land Unknown is a story about two Lebanese  refugees, Chatila and Reda, stranded in Athens, desperately seeking a way to reach Germany.  They hustle on the street, ruthlessly using people for their own gain, stealing purses, swindling and plotting with smugglers to make money to escape their purgatory.  Their lives intersect with a young boy whom they conspire to traffic out with the help of a Greek woman.

What makes this film stand out from other stories about displaced people is its tenderness and humour.  The tone of this film shifts from slapstick buddy-comedy, to crime-thriller, while showing characters as people with the same needs and wants as everyone else.  

I was on the edge of my seat as things wind into an uncontrollable spiral in the last 20 minutes of the film, culminating in a memorable, emotionally resonant ending.

To a Land Unknown screened at the International Film Festival of Ottawa (IFFO) on March 15 preceded by the short film The Steak. The festival continues until March 23. Check out iffo.ca for more information and for tickets.

More info & links:

• Director: Mahdi Fleifel
• Cast: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Angeliki Papoulia, Manal Awad
• To a Land Unknown on IMDB

Jith Paul

Web Designer, Editor, Film Reviewer

Jith Paul is an independent filmmaker based in Ottawa. While pursuing a career as a software engineer, he decided to take a detour to follow his passion for film and filmmaking, establishing Treepot Media in 2010.

He operates Treepot Spark, is a co-founder of the Ottawa Canadian Film Festival, and is the editor of the film613 blog.

When he is not busy fighting crime, he coordinates the efforts of an international team of software developers and service providers as the Team Lead for Digital Development at CPAC, the Cable Public Affairs Channel.

jithpaul.com