After having been noticed as a capable short film maker, and having immense success with his short film "Bawke" Kurdish/Norwegian Hisham Zaman has went on to make the critically acclaimed "Winterland" (Vinterland) and then the feature "Before snowfall" (Før snøen faller). The latter won the prestigious Dragon Award in Stockholm International Film Festival, with the price money of 1 million Swedish Crowns, as so did this new film "Letter to the King" the year later.
It's no wonder that Zaman wins prices for his films, as he manages to get to the core of the persons featured. He is, no wonder, very occupied with the challenges his fellow countrymen from Kurdistan goes through when being refugees in foreign countries. This film is about a one day trip to Norwegian capitol Oslo, a bus full of refugees experience after having spent some time in their camp site. We follow fire of them, with the main story springing out of 83 year old patron Mirza, which feel he has to get back home to bury his dead sons, and writes a letter to the Norwegain king, with a little help from a young nephew which has learned enough Norwewgian to translate. He, of course, doesn't know that the Norwegian king is merely a patron himself, with no real power to do something for the old man.
We also follow four others, which all have their hope and dreams of getting something more out of their few hours in Oslo. More or less desperate, most of them fail on their missions. However, the stories tell a sad reality of how it is to be a refugee in a foreign country, and not really either happy or with a clear future. Desperate situations calls for desperate solutions. It's a difficult world.
The film manages to set a trace in your soul after the mere 75 minutes of storytelling, with both drama, excitement, despair and a little bit of humor is well. Well done, and very interesting.
In just a few years after film school Zaman has managed to become one of Norways most critically acclaimed film makers. His take on the refugee situation is bound to make a difference in some way or another.
