Exodus (2023) User Reviews

Stony Brook Film Festival

[oliverliush · 6/10 · 23 July 2023]

A film on the refugee crisis is definitely needed. So I appreciate the writers and directors courage on this issue.

As much as I like the film, I will mainly address the concerns I had while watching the film, so it might seem a bit harsh. (I do recommend this film with all my heart.

The film is certainly informative. The conversations between the girl and the smuggler have an additional explanatory function. I sensed the effort in explaining to, sometimes confronting with, the western audience. Some of these conversations made me think of the real world politics and how the refugee crisis incited the right extremists in Europe later on. But that's not the film's flaw. It's the subject itself.

Another concern I had while watching: I could not help but notice that the girl is in fact, a relevantly "privileged" one among the refugee. Her family was rich before the war, and her sisters all seem to have received very good education. But this again another hard class issue that is hard to confront in life. I am not sure if this is a theme that the writer intentionally want me to pick up, or I am just coming from my own background.

But the film does remind me to face the tough questions.

The characters of the movie are still with me days after watching it

[idalund-19839 · 8/10 · 12 December 2023]

The characters of the movie are still with me days after watching the movie (at the Festival del Cinema di Porretta) I can't stop to think about Sam and Amal and the journey they have made together. I hope the movie finds its way to the masses in Italy. Some things could have been done differently, but as a film student and aspiring director, I am very impressed with the portrayal of the characters. You can see that the filmmakers know their characters, they know them in and out. The girl, Amal (Jwan Alqatami) and the man, Sam (Ashraf Barhom) would most likely have been in the running for the big prizes if this was an American or British film. Watch this gem.

Attractive story about immigration issues. Showing different sides and suitable for family viewing. Will keep the attention of most audience categories

[JvH48 · 8/10 · 28 February 2024]

Saw this at the Noordelijk film festival 2023 in Leeuwarden (NL). I'm glad that movies about immigration become more and more different from what we got force-fed in 2017, when the so-called immigration crisis peaked, and when many filmmakers tried to piggyback on the issues showcased in the news. At the time, I swore to avoid all movies about this topic for good and for all. I broke my oath recently, when I saw one that I marked as different (Io Capitano/The Captain 2023, by Matteo Garrone). And again, I broke the same oath for the second time for the movie at hand. So, there is still hope for the future that immigration issues will get a better and nuanced coverage than in 2017.

This movie shows an attractive story, though "attractive" may not be the best choice of words in this context. Still, I don't know a better term. What happens will keep the attention of several viewer categories. Despite some statistical impossibilities that I can ignore given the quality of the rest of the story, it amplifies plenty of difficulties that immigrants must face. Every obstacle can be resolved with money, making this the favorite playing field of greedy people. Emotions are involved too, given family members winding up spread over different countries. A cute 12-year-old girl being our lead protagonist Amal will appeal most viewers equally. Even professional smuggler Sam, though seemingly cold and only focused on money, proves not completely devoid of emotions, and he does not drop Amal despite the stumbling block she obviously is.

All in all, an interesting take on immigration, very suitable for family viewing. What we see happening on screen, and what we pick up from various dialogs, illustrates small-scale hence different views on immigration, clearly deviating from the large-scale human masses we usually associate with these issues. In the news media we see an emphasis on a "tsunami" of people, threatening to overflow our civilization. It is refreshing to watch the other side. I scored a 4 out of 5 for the audience award when leaving the venue.

A Tremendous First Feature

[brentsbulletinboard · 9/10 · 25 March 2023]

The refugee crisis (especially those escaping from Syria) is an issue that is finally getting its due cinematically, first with the Netflix fact-based offering "The Swimmers" (2022) and now with this impressive debut feature from writer-director Abbe Hassan. The film follows the odyssey of a young Syrian girl (Jwan Alqatami), travelling alone, who flees to Turkey from her homeland on her way to Sweden for a reunion with her sisters and parents. But, upon exiting the crowded shipping container that transported her on the first leg of her journey, she's met with a raid by Turkish immigration authorities, barely escaping in the unexpected company of one of the exploitive smugglers who organized her flight to freedom (Ashrof Barhom). Thus begins a trek through Europe as this seemingly mismatched duo makes its way to Sweden, a perilous trip that embroils the protagonists in an engaging array of challenges and revelations, especially the uncovering of the many different sides of these complex characters. As this story plays out, the filmmaker effectively weaves together elements from a variety of genres, including action-adventure tales, thrillers, emotionally touching dramas and road trip/buddy movies, successfully depicting the refugee saga for it truly is - a bittersweet experience filled with joys, triumphs, disappointments and tragedies. It draws much-needed attention to the plight of these downtrodden souls seeking safety from an insane conflict that's needlessly displacing so many innocents caught in the crossfire, just one of many such clashes currently occurring around the world. "Exodus" is a genuinely compelling watch, one that truly deserves a mainstream theatrical distribution, as well as recognition for the attention it so absorbingly draws to this urgently heartbreaking crisis.

Important & Beutiful

[mlissahorn · 9/10 · 24 November 2023]

Such a beautiful and important movie with great actors. The girl is magnetic. The guy you recognize from several other films. The movie feels very authentic. A road movie where I got a sense of what it is like to be on the run. I like that you were close to and with the main characters throughout the movie. Maybe there was a bit too much music for my taste but it is very nice. The movie is a perfect mix of American cinema and a European one.

I saw it in Braunschweig and had the pleasure of attending a QA with the director who was incredibly humble. Highly recommended. Looking forward to the next movie with the cast of the movie.