Desolate landscapes and darker circumstances dominate Vika Evdokimenko’s short film, Aamir.
It follows 13-year-old Aamir (Alan Asaad) who has escaped his home only to end up alone in Europe’s most infamous refugee camp, Calais. Based on a true story, Evdokimenko takes an unflinchingly honest look at what the word, “refugee,” means today. She does it in 15 minutes, too, an impressive feat considering the depth of the definition.
Lonely, vulnerable, and utterly lost, Aamir is separated from his family in Mosul to ensure his survival. Featuring brief flashes of running for his life, we see him successfully smuggled into Calais, an unofficial refugee camp that grew infamous for its size, as well severe cases of police brutality, and horrific living conditions. The camp no longer exists today, as the French government ordered it razed in 2016, but hundreds of migrants still remain in hopes of finding a way across the U.K. border.
(Read more of my review here: http://filmthreat.com/reviews/aamir/)