Greetings again from the darkness. Snuggled in bed with the lights off is often when we feel the most safe and secure. One evening, 13 year old Aamir's peaceful sleep is rocked by a violent home intrusion. He hears gunfire, and we next see him being shoved into a getaway car by his frantic mother.
Director Vika Evdokimenko, her co-writer Oliver Shuster, and cinematographer Robbie Ryan (AMERICAN HONEY) use a creative technique to take us along on Aamir's rough and tumble journey. It's a journey that ends with him unaccompanied in Calais' "Jungle", the largest unofficial refugee camp in Europe.
Based on a true story ... this clearly happens all too frequently. Aamir is on his own, separated from whatever is left of his family in Mosul, surrounded by so many others who also dream of hitching a ride to freedom across the English Channel. The horrific conditions of the camp feed the desperation, and Aamir meets a British volunteer who provides a glimmer of hope with a hug.
The 15 minute film stars Alan Assad and Jasmine Blackborow, and has received a BAFTA nomination. The problem of unaccompanied, undocumented children who are disappearing - or worse - is one that deserves more attention and effort to find a better and more humane solution, and we assume this is why Emma Stone came on board as a producer.
