(**1/2) 

Any allegory about the perils of immigrants and the disdain countries have towards them is extremely topical. Leave it to the very bold Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland (Europa Europa) to tackle the subject with an admirable urgency.

In her haste, she creates a compelling movie about Syrian, Afghanistan and African refugees that graphically chronicles the xenophobia and abhorrent policies of Poland and Budapest. Policies that shuffle those in need of refuge back and forth across their borders like cattle.  

When the camera (Tomasz Naumiuk, Mr. Jones) follows the weary travelers (Jalal Altawil, Behi Djanati-Atai, Al Rashi Mohamad) the intimacy of their brutal victimization is devastating to witness. As the B&W footage (bad choice should have been in color) follows two secondary storylines about a Polish border guard (Tomasz Włosok) and psychologist-turned-refugee activist (Maja Ostaszewska) the film’s plotting strains. It becomes overambitious, off message and getting away from the root experience. As if the protagonists are left hanging just to show European perspectives.  

Yes, if you point out the victims of a tragedy and the demons in question you must also show what the remedies are and who can help.  Unfortunately, Holland and the editor (Pavel Hrdlička) attempt to develop the screenplay’s (Maciej Pisuk, Gabriela Łazarkiewicz-Sieczko and Holland) grandiose goals flounders in a feature film format that lasts for a 152 butt-numbing minutes.    

The subject matter is formidable enough to deserve a more suitable production. The material, characters, dilemmas and revelations definitely warrant the time, and these elements needed to be dispersed and told in sprints. In series or mini-series episodes. Not as one overly long piece. 

Fortunately, good intentions and the timely theme balance out most of the film’s misjudgments.

 Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAmd876mKbg

For more information about the New York Film Festival go to  https://www.filmlinc.org/nyff2023/ 
Visit Film Critic Dwight Brown at DwightBrownInk.com.