What elevates Khant’s work above your average coming-of-age drama is the inkling of political awareness manifesting itself throughout the film. The relevance of tragic teenage love story is packaged with a touch of modernity in Alexander Khant’s second feature film In Limbo, an emotionally-charged and emotion-eliciting portrayal of rebellious teenagers in love which tugs at your heartstrings at all the right moments. A story that is frequently portrayed in the news, Limbo adds a humane and untold element to what life as a refugee is really like.Fetch the Bolt Cutters: Khant Crafts a Story of Liberation, Love and Loss The opening scene in which Helga and Boris demonstrate to the men how to behave with women in a nightclub is laugh-out-loud funny. Omar's fellow refugee and Freddie Mercury enthusiast, Farhad (Vikash Bhai), provides the comic relief along with odd couple Helga (Sidse Babett Knudsen) and Boris (Kenneth Collard) who ensure the men are all "prepared" for their integration into Western society. As each day passes, and after yet another phone call back to his family - who are now living in Turkey - Omar begins to second guess his decision to leave his country, and what little enthusiasm he had gradually drains away. Rather than jar, this change in emotional tack feels natural and in sync with Omar's own feelings. But by the second half, and following an unexpected tragedy, the mood has very much turned as the monotony and boredom felt by Omar and his fellow refugees takes over, as they wait for a faceless institution to tell them if they can stay in the country or not. The first half of the movie is littered with comedic moments as the absurdity of the refugees' situation plays out. In many ways, these counter-positions are encapsulated by the movie's two halves. Limbo is both about isolation and community. Written and directed by Ben Sharrock in what is only his second directorial feature, this superb British movie, set on a remote Scottish island, is a film full of contrasts. The movie is a refreshing take on the lives of refugees so rarely told or portrayed in the media or on-screen. For the most part, the movie is in English, but when Omar speaks Arabic, English subtitles are displayed. Characters frequently smoke, most notably Farhad who is rarely seen without a cigarette. In one shocking and unexpected scene, a character is found frozen to death in a field. Other locals are shown to be more welcoming, but even they use racist language, such as the British slang term "Paki." There is also occasional swearing including variants of "f-k," "shite," and "balls." There are a number of references to war and people being killed. Inquisitive stares and racist language are common throughout, although the movie portrays this more as ignorance rather than anything more sinister. The refugees encounter mixed reactions from the locals. The hopelessness of the men's situation is tapered by laugh-out-loud moments, often courtesy of Omar's friend and fellow refugee, Farhad (Vikash Bhai), who remains optimistic and encouraging. Omar (Amir El-Masry) is one of a group of refugees - all single men - who are housed on a remote Scottish island while they wait to find out if they have been granted asylum to the U.K. Parents need to know that Limbo is an excellent British drama with comedic moments, but also racist language and some upset.
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