FILMS don't get much more topical than this. Michael Winterbottom's new film follows a young Afghan man, Jamal (Jamal Udin Torabi), and his older cousin, Eyayatullah, (Eyayatullah) as they embark on a hazardous journey from a refugee camp at Peshawar to London.
Their journey is facilitated by people traffickers, as they travels through Iran, Turkey, Italy and France, spending time at the Sangatte refugee camp.
On the way they are fleeced, starved and finally encounter tragedy.
A docu-drama, the two lead actors are effectively playing themselves and the film was shot using small digital cameras.
Life reflected art for the stars of the film and after the shoot was completed, Jamal reportedly used his unexpired visa to return to London and apply for asylum for real.
The film doesn't focus on the motives of the traffickers or the supposed promised land of Britain that the refugees are heading to but the journey itself.
But unlike traditional road movies, the film doesn't feature revelation scenes in which the characters reveal secrets of their past or bond with each other but is shot as such a journey probably would be - long periods of silence punctuated with brief arguments and mix-ups.
The film draws the viewer into the story behind the headlines about refugees and encourages us to think about the broader political and moral concerns.
With English subtitles.
Harbour Lights, Southampton Until Thursday. Box office: 023 8033 5533.
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