The Flood (II) (2019) User Reviews

Solid, if unspectacular

[carlo_simone18 · 5/10 · 3 September 2019]

A somewhat intriguing look at immigration and the border officials who handle it. The story works quite well with its limited use of location, with much of the narrative shifting between the interview between Wendy and Haile, and Haile's journey to get to the UK. It does a decent job of showing both the perspectives of border officials and refugees.

Lena Headey's acting is fine, but Ivanno Jeremiah is fantastic, having to showcase a lot of emotion, and dig deep within his character's psyche. Through his journey from Eritrea to the UK you can understand the tough choices he has to make, such as when he attacks a police officer to allow others to escape. The film doesn't justify his actions, making him a more interesting character by not taking the moral option at every turn.

For negatives, there is a lack of narrative momentum during the second act, and some emotional beats for Haile feel a bit over-cooked. Wendy's sub-plot involving her divorce could have tied back to the overall story a little more as well.

Do find it interesting there are quite a few reviews calling the film propaganda. Tackling immigration is a political issue, but I don't think emphasising with the experience of people trying to come to the country should be considered such a problem. That factor seems to have overtaken the usual values of judging a film for some people, purely giving it a 1/10 because of supposed differences of political opinion.

Lift up those stars

[NanoFrog · 7/10 · 23 August 2019]

This is a serious film, a sort of snapshot of the movement of a few people from hell along the migration path to the UK. It is slow. It is methodical. It is a beautiful picture. I stayed with it because I was interested in what Leana Hedey would be interested to work on after GOT. And this is it. At the end I see why she did it. Everyone here does a fine job and the story is a solid drama that evryone should care about. It is rather sad and tense, maybe that is why many give it a low star count. Or maybe there is some racist objections being recorded, though I hope not. It is at least a solid seven. Heady does a lot of acting inside a rather small part.

Sign Of Our Times!!

[wprecagno-630-308527 · 6/10 · 19 August 2019]

Some say in this thread this movie is a propaganda!! Its a TRUE reflection of the reality of life in the 21st century!! Well crafted and acted movie.

this movie deserves at least a 7 stars note

[josemanuelh · 7/10 · 23 February 2021]

Moving realistic story, very well plotted, great acting for both main actors, and good direction and production, this movie deserves to be watched, I rarely give a 7 stars note, but this movie really earned it by its own merits

It was.... Disappointing

[samuelyates-17539 · 3/10 · 25 August 2019]

Unlike a lot of the US reviewers who insist on turning everything into a red vs blue, left vs right, baby vs baby political argument, I really couldn't care less if it's biased to a particular political view. It's a movie.

With that said I sat down to watch this full of high hopes. Precisely why, I have no idea. I thought Lena would be so much better. I thought the movie itself would be engaging and thought provoking. It isn't. It's a slow moving, boring, throwaway movie. The ending was telegraphed from the very first minute of film and the predictability of the piece takes away from the little "good" that the movie offers along the way. I expect to see this movie on the shelves of Poundland soon.

I personally wasn't moved or even entertained by the subject matter at all. Still. It's not a 1 star movie. But it's impossible for me to award more than 3. A bad effort :(.

Underrated moving Drama

[swowen-84128 · 7/10 · 29 May 2020]

This movie is a drama that is based on Hailie's (played by Ivanno Jeremiah) plight to gain asylum in the UK. One of the first scenes that you will see, is a guy, Hailie jumping out of the back of a lorry wielding a knife at the police officers that are inspecting it. He is arrested and as an illegal immigrant is taken to be interviewed. The immigration officer is Wendy (played by Lena Headey), she is a hardened officer that has heard every conceivable excuse, reason and claim for the right it stay. You can also see that Wendy has other issues that she is trying her best to hide away from anyone else. When Hailie turns up at Immigration Office you will notice his clothes are dirty and his boots are flapping, but are held together in a fashion by some tape. As Wendy begins, the almost robotic questioning of Hailie, we see his journey coming to him through flashbacks. The reasons he wanted to leave Eritrea, through his journey in "The Jungle", in Calais, and why his clothes and boots as they are. As the questioning is taking place, Wendy's boss Phillip (played by Iain Glen) is pushing for this particular case to be done and dusted quickly, as the attack has hit the Headlines in the National Press. Will Hailie's story convince Wendy that he has a case or will he be be seen as a dangerous asylum seeker, have his claim rejected and be deported back to Eritrea? I must say that since watching this movie, I have read some of the other reviews, and seen some of the ratings! I do not see why the scores are so low and the film is underrated! This movie IS better than what is shown at the time of this being posted. If you are looking for an action movie or a Hollywood Blockbuster, then this movie is not what you are looking for. You will find a very good Drama movie, in which the acting from Lena Headey and Ivanno Jeremiah is of a very good standard. The story itself was also easy to follow and flowed along nicely and in my opinion shows a good insight into the trials and tribulations that refugees go through to make it to the UK.

Terrible. What a joke.

[ferdmalenfant · 1/10 · 19 August 2019]

This movie is so incredibly boring and filled with mindless crap. Who makes these things up? I doubt very much a Flood 2 is anywhere in the making. Yuck!

Extremely underrated

[arrerong · 10/10 · 2 December 2019]

I usually think IMDB scores are fairly accurate, but it seems that this is something that doesn't apply to political movies. The fact that filmmakers, like all creatives, might reflect their views, political or otherwise, in their art seems to be something people can't handle. A gripping story, fantastic cast, and a strong message should see this movie score a way higher score than it currently has. Watch it and judge for yourself!

Propaganda Vs Fiction

[dannypetty-73316 · 5/10 · 21 December 2019]

Make no mistake, this is a good film. But it is also overshadowed by its leftists political bias, so you find yourself almost with two reviews.

The film itself is a great story, well made and acted. The main characters are very likeable and you can easily find yourself rooting for them and understanding them all regardless of their positions at the opposite ends of the spectrum.

Whilst this story can easily hold many real world truths for many people, it is a clear propoganda project... Which in such a sensitive time could easily ruin the viewing experience for those emotionally tied to current events if you do not side with the left. Whilst this is a heart warming and heart breaking story, it clearly has a political leaning in order to make a point which in real life may not be totally accurate, as the film does go to some length to suggest illegal immigration = victim/ good, and the British establishment = bad.

Due to its attempt to create a fact based story (which is in itself a good film) but with corrupting bias, it cannot be worth more than a 6.

Powerful, current and important!

[omid-ashtari · 8/10 · 9 December 2019]

Immigration is a polarising topic which is clearly examplified by the reviews of this movie. The ignorance we see in some of the reviews here is exactly what this movie is trying to address. It doesn't matter on what side of this debate you are, it will be very hard for you to not feel empathy for the powerful performance of the lead actor Ivanno Jeremiah and his journey from Eritrea to the UK. You can understand the dilemma the immigration officer played by Lena Heady is facing, whether you believe refugees should be admitted in this country or not. Overall the performances and the writing of Helen Kingston make this a human and relatable exploration of the subject. It's this view into the lives of people who sit on the frontlines of the immigration and refugee crisis at desks in non-descript office rooms across the world that this movie conveys so well. This is an important topic to delve into especially given our current political climate so I hope that people watch this movie with an open mind and proceed to have constructive nuanced debates rather than falling back on common tropes.

Not moved by..

[silent88uk · 5/10 · 1 September 2019]

Many reviews here seem to dismiss the movie by focusing on the apparent political leftist bias (which I can handle) yet it's not the reason the movie is below par - it's the poor acting (except for the lead, Lena Headey) and cliché dialogues that left me underwhelmed. I'd relate more to refugee TV news stories than this fictionalised account.

Not a disaster movie. Movie ruins other future movies about actual water floods called "Flood".

[cjdnewall · 2/10 · 27 February 2020]

I wen into the cinema knowing nothing about the movie except the title and actors. Cool, Lena Heady from GoT, in a new movie called THE FLOOD. I was so in.

BUT then i realized that this movie, "The Flood", has nothing to do with a flood. It is not a disaster movie! it becomes just political nonsense about immigration or some such.

What a waste of good "green tea".

perfomances were probably good, but not what i wanted to see.

No one we send back gets killed.

[nogodnomasters · 5/10 · 29 August 2019]

Wendy (Lena Headey) is a UK bureaucrat who interviews people for asylum hearings, sorting out legitimate refugees from folks who just want out of their country. She is put in charge of the high profile case of Halie (Ivanno Jeremiah) fleeing Eritrea. He pulled a knife on a cop. Her job is to give him hope and refuse him. Halie tells her a story that would qualify him for sainthood, but is it true and does it matter?

It is a drama you may or may not like depending on the level of your xenophobia. Guide: No swearing, sex, or nudity.

Deserves a higher rating

[p-hawkins-44264 · 8/10 · 20 September 2019]

Just watched this film and I feel it is a much better film than it's rating suggests. Desperate story of one mans desperate attempt to reach the UK at any cost and of a hard - keeping to the rule book immigration officer. Great performances by all starring. I give it 8/10. Watch it it's a good film

Very good acting.

[george-bujnowski · 8/10 · 22 August 2019]

Very good acting. For those that criticise the plot, this is not an objective examination of all the problems of refugees or illegal immigration. It's a dramatic story, well told and very well interpreted. Good movie.

Powerful and Current with outstanding performances

[yashamalekzad · 9/10 · 9 December 2019]

Unfortunately it seems peoples political views have hijacked the rating of this film.

Ivanno Jeremiah's performance is stunning with strong offerings from the rest of the cast.

The film is thought provoking and currently very relevant with the worlds human displacement crisis.

I'd highly recommend this movie to all!

Excellent well acted film on a difficult subject matter

[bevac-23476 · 10/10 · 20 August 2019]

The Flood comes at the immigration issues from both sides, you see the horror of the struggles, danger and indignity of being an asylum seeker. What The Flood also demonstrates is immigration officers have a difficult job, they have to determine if the person sitting in front of them is telling the truth or lying. While Hallie (Ivanno Jeremiah) the asylum seeker is recounting his story to Wendy (Lena Headey) of the horror of his journey to England in flash backs, it's clear he has touched a nerve with Wendy. You're also given an insight into Wendy's personal world which is unraveling in the background. Strong performances from Lena Headey, Ivanno Jeremiah and Iain Glen (plays Wendy's boss). I understand the Director (Anthony Woolley) volunteered at 'The Jungle' in Calais and the film is an amalgamation of various story's told. The film is well researched and balanced on both sides of the story. The Flood doesn't give you any answers but leaves you to ask yourself questions to come to your own conclusions about what is the humane way forward to this increasing problem of displaced people due to wars and political issues that are not of their making. Well received by Human Rights Watch this in it self shows The Flood is real

Excellent

[mrzeeshan-39184 · 10/10 · 21 August 2019]

The film is based on true stories of Asylum seekers, who are escaping from prosecution and Wars and what they are being through, just to have a normal life like us.There are couple of negative reviews from Far right bigots who are narrow minded and backward, ignore them.

Such a great, heartwrenching film

[rdbr-53845 · 9/10 · 17 September 2019]

Title says it all. It is a well made film, not about politics, but about the emotional plight and trauma that asylum seekers can go through. The plot is good; the acting and direction are both spot on.

Excellent well told story with amazing acting!!

[elizabethturra · 10/10 · 9 December 2019]

Despite the ratings you would see here, which I personally think are mostly from people who haven't watched the movie. This is a must see from an ongoing issue in a lot of countries, it's very well told and the actors were amazing, specially Ivanno Jeremiah. I really applaud the producer Luke Healy and the writer Helen Kingston from bringing this piece of art to the screen. I really hope more of you give it the chance that it deserves. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Fantastic real movie

[c-thompson-celt · 10/10 · 1 January 2020]

Watched this film over Christmas with my family, was surprised at how much I enjoyed it given the subject matter. Depiction of the Calais jungle was most fascinating and really well acted. I feel this is a really important topic to address in our times. Humanity and compassion must prevail over he easier choice to simply overlook pleas for help of refugees. Great cast and really enjoyable watch of a tricky subject matter.

Amazing, heartfelt and beautiful film

[annalouiseelliott · 10/10 · 31 January 2020]

Beautifully written, heartfelt and poignant film about the real human cost of the refugee crisis. It will stay with you long afterwards. I urge everyone to watch this. 10/10 is an understatement!

Great movie

[pinkpoofyprincess · 10/10 · 20 April 2020]

Exceptional film, very dramatic and is far better than other reviews suggest.

Powerful film

[lizajeankeast · 9/10 · 30 January 2020]

I agree with other reviewers who say this was underrated. I found it extremely moving and beautifully acted. I was an emotional limp rag as I walked out of the cinema. An important story well told.

Real life here and around the world

[pecan111 · 8/10 · 2 November 2022]

Ppl, stop with trying to make this a political stmt. This kind of sorrow and tragedy is evident the world over. Too many ppl have had it too good here and don't even want to consider that these ppl r desperate. Most would rather stay in their own country but due to climate change, war, famine and other problems, they are just trying to survive. For those of you who have no empathy, you are horrible human beings. You could easily have been born in these areas and you would be desperate for a place to go. The west has had the lions share of wealth and all you can do is dismiss this global plight.