This is arguably the most controversial European film this year and was targeted by the Polish government as being fascist because it showcases the fascist methods this government has employed. Director Agnieszka Holland, the most important living Polish director who won the Academy Award for the German Holocaust film "Europa Europa" in 1990, became the victim of a vicious trolling campaign. It's laudable that she took such a risk at age 75, but at the same time, the film is also extremely one-sided and juxtaposes poor helpless refugees and honorable Christian-minded activists with fascist Polish and Belarusian border police.
The reality is, as usual, in the middle: Europe cannot harbor all of the estimated 300 million people at risk in the world, and the laws to regulate illegal immigration have been put at place to protect society as a whole. Angela Merkel - the most overrated politician of all time - did Europe a huge disservice by creating pull factors resulting in a permanent humanitarian crisis, which puts those who are tasked with enforcing the law under constant pressure. The film completely refuses to address this.
By doing a Cinema Verité approach with a Good vs. Evil angle, Holland ignores the existential crisis the European Union is in (and which it most likely will not survive). The nod towards Ukraine in the end would have been an opportunity to point out the difference between those for whom political asylum is intended - war refugees - and those who are using the system for a chance of a better life far away from their corrupt governments. But Holland sticks to her images of noble poor and evil authorities. So while the campaign against her is odious, that doesn't make her agitprop simplistic film any better.
The reality is, as usual, in the middle: Europe cannot harbor all of the estimated 300 million people at risk in the world, and the laws to regulate illegal immigration have been put at place to protect society as a whole. Angela Merkel - the most overrated politician of all time - did Europe a huge disservice by creating pull factors resulting in a permanent humanitarian crisis, which puts those who are tasked with enforcing the law under constant pressure. The film completely refuses to address this.
By doing a Cinema Verité approach with a Good vs. Evil angle, Holland ignores the existential crisis the European Union is in (and which it most likely will not survive). The nod towards Ukraine in the end would have been an opportunity to point out the difference between those for whom political asylum is intended - war refugees - and those who are using the system for a chance of a better life far away from their corrupt governments. But Holland sticks to her images of noble poor and evil authorities. So while the campaign against her is odious, that doesn't make her agitprop simplistic film any better.