Film Review - Europa (2022)

The plight of immigrants is given a terrifying close-up in Haider Rashid’s film Europa. After entering Europe on foot between the border of Turkey and Bulgaria, young Iraqi man Kamal, played by Adam Ali, is pursued by Bulgarian border police into the depths of a seemingly never-ending forest. Lost and wounded, Kamal desperately tries to fight for survival in a world where he is hunted relentlessly.

Selected as the Iraqi entry for Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards, Europa is a film that not only serves as a drama but also one that seeks to shine a light on the real life struggles of the modern migrant. Based on true events taken from the Balkan Route, the opening titles inform the audience of the danger that faces anyone trying to take the route and of the complicity between those who make the laws and those who break them – a blind eye is turned to the nationalist vigilantes who are prepared to hunt down anyone trying to enter their country.

Europa is incredibly effective at showing the horror of the situation that Kamal has found himself in. The camera never strays far from Kamal’s face and the stress and pain that is etched there is a constant reminder that this is something that happens to real human beings. The filmmaking is very visceral, and the scant dialogue and handheld camerawork works well to allow the audience to focus on the physical demands of Kamal’s struggles. Kamal is the centre and heart of the film and a great performance by Ali means that the audience is always completely invested in him.

As Europa uses minimal dialogue and score, instead the soundscape of the film is predominantly the sound of very heavy breathing. Whilst this often works well, serving as an almost bodily and forceful soundtrack that gives audience a continual feeling of tension, there is also a heavy-handedness to this that threatens to alienate the audience.

Europa comes in at less than eighty minutes, however the film does have some pacing issues and perhaps would have worked better as a short. The issues explored and highlighted here are so important that it is vital to keep the audience engaged throughout and a short would have done this more effectively.

Nevertheless, Europa is a heart-breaking and empathic film that deserves to be seen. Now more than ever depictions of these kind need to be seen by audiences as they serve as a timely reminder that treating others with kindness and respect is key to our humanity.