Limbo (2020 film)
Limbo is a 2020 British comedy-drama film, directed by Ben Sharrock.[2] The film centres on four asylum seekers who are staying on a remote island in Scotland, and taking cultural awareness classes, while awaiting the processing of their refugee claims.[3]
Limbo | |
---|---|
Directed by | Ben Sharrock |
Produced by | Irune Gurtubai Angus Lamont |
Written by | Ben Sharrock |
Starring | Sidse Babett Knudsen Kenneth Collard Amir El-Masry Kais Nashef |
Music by | Hutch Demouilpied |
Cinematography | Nick Cooke |
Edited by | Karel Dolak Lucia Zucchetti |
Production company | Caravan Cinema |
Distributed by | MUBI |
Release date | |
Running time | 103 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
The film was named as an Official Selection of the 2020 Cannes Film Festival, but was not screened due to the cancellation of the physical festival in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] It premiered at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival.[4]
Limbo garnered four nominations at the 2021 British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs) including Amir El-Masry Best Actor, Irune Gurtubai Breakthrough Producer, and Nick Cooke Best Cinematography.[5]
Plot
An offbeat observation of the refugee experience. On a fictional remote Scottish island, a group of new arrivals await the results of their asylum claims. Among them is Omar, a young Syrian musician burdened by the weight of his grandfather’s oud, which he has carried all the way from his homeland. [6]
Reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 94% based on 16 critic reviews, with an average rating of 8.25/10.[7] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian praised Limbo's "elegant deadpan style established from the outset, Sharrock soon gets you to invest in the characters and care deeply about what happens to them. “Limbo” is about refugees and asylum seekers in Britain, and it’s a bracingly internationalist and non-parochial piece of work: film-making with a bold view on the world but also as gentle and intimate as a much-loved sitcom… This is superlative film-making from Sharrock." [8]
References
- https://www.tiff.net/events/limbo
- Matt Donnelly, "CAA Signs Ben Sharrock, Director of Cannes Indie ‘Limbo’". Variety, July 20, 2020.
- Alex Ritman, "Cannes Hidden Gem: Ben Sharrock on his Absurdist Refugee Drama 'Limbo'". The Hollywood Reporter, 25 June 2020.
- Victoria Ahearn, "TIFF announces all 50 titles for pandemic-tailored 2020 event". Toronto Star, 30 July 2020.
- "CRAFT WINNERS ANNOUNCED FOR BIFA 2020 · BIFA · British Independent Film Awards". BIFA · British Independent Film Awards. 25 January 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
- Limbo, retrieved 29 January 2021
- "Limbo (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
- "Limbo review – heart-rending portrait of refugees stranded in Scotland". the Guardian. 11 September 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2021.