Available at some art house cinemas and widely on demand, this is a much lauded documentary from director Gianfranco Rosi.
It is set in Lampedusa, a small island off the Italian coast that has become a first destination in Europe for thousands of African and Middle Eastern migrants. We see both arriving immigrants and the local population still trying to go about their daily lives.
This is undoubtedly an important subject matter and the setting for the film should have made it a fascinating one, but it failed to live up to my expectations. Far too much of the time is spent with a local boy, 12-year-old Samuele, who’s just like any other annoying kid of his age, and his boring parents. The time spent with the desperate newcomers is much more interesting, and there are some stunning night-time shots of them being taken from their boats. I was particularly taken with the image of them in their shimmering foil jackets that were given to them to keep them warm. But just as I became engrossed in their story, it was back to that bratty Samuele again!
Also, at times, the camera felt a bit too intrusive for me when we were shown shots of terrified and / or grief-stricken immigrants. It tended to linger on them for far too long. A major disappointment.
Rating: 4.5 out of 10