A very good movie

I already saw this movie but since it was a while back, I was quite eager to check it out again. The first time I came across this movie, I saw its trailer in a theater and it was intriguing but I could hardly make out what it was about. Flash-forward 2 years later and completely out-of-the-blue, this flick showed up in the IMDb top 250. At this point, I made a note for myself that I should definitely check this out and guess what? A couple of weeks later, it was broadcasted on TV. First of all, one of the great pleasures when watching a movie is to discover a new director. Up to that point, I had seen nothing directed by Denis Villeneuve but he really impressed me here and, since then, he obviously turned out to be one of the most exciting directors at work nowadays. Basically, it is a really slow burning drama but it was very effective and the ending was just heart-breaking. Still, I thought it was a little bit frustrating that they never named in which country the whole thing took place and it bugged me so much, I had to stop half way through it to look it up on the internet (as a matter of fact, I even did it again when I rewatched the damned thing). And, indeed, it takes place in an unnamed Middle-Eastern country based on Lebanon. There were also some refugees whose nationality was never specified. Even though I consider myself an history buff, I was sometimes confused, and if you don’t have any knowledge of this region history, I’m pretty sure you’ll be confused as well. Anyway, it didn’t change the fact that it was a fascinating drama with some shades of thriller elements. The cast was also really good and, like I said before, the ending was completely heartbreaking hitting me like a truck on full speed. Usually, I’m annoyed to death by the typical twist ending provided by your average Hollywood thriller. It is a useless gimmick but, in this movie, it was really good and appropriate. Even the random chronology which is so much overused nowadays worked really well here. This movie was also a terrible reminder of all the atrocities which have been taken place in the last 50 years in the Middle East. Anyway, to conclude, it was a very good flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.


8/10