‘I Was a Stranger’ ★★★
½ Cast: Yasmine Al Massri, Yahya Mahayni, Omar Sy, Ziad Bakri, Constantine Markouaklis and Ayman Samman. Directed and written by Brandt Andersen; produced by Ryan Busse and Andersen. An Angel Films release. 103 minutes. Rated PG-13 (violence, thematic material). At the AMC Champaign 13 and Savoy 16 IMAX.
Gripping and timely, Brandt Andersen’s “I Was a Stranger” is a harrowing look at the issue of modern warfare and its ensuing immigration crisis through the perspective of five characters caught in its web. Taking place during the Syrian civil war, circa 2023, the concerns that spring from its various stories are applicable today. With the steady stream of turmoil roiling throughout the world, one can’t help but make the connection between the events portrayed on screen and those that bombard our evening news.
Andersen’s intent is plain from the start. The opening shot is a steady approach from Lake Michigan, up the Chicago River, its focus on the city’s Trump Tower, its owner’s name filling the screen. The camera then comes to rest inside a downtown hospital, with Amari (Yasmine Al Massri) set to make her rounds. Her examination of a child’s condition sparks a memory that unfolds.
Eight years prior, while working as a surgeon in Aleppo, Syria, we see her become embroiled in a set of escalating circumstances that would threaten her life, as well as that of her daughter, Rasha (Massa Daoud). Their home having been bombed and their family killed, they attempt to flee the city with the help of a rebel soldier. It does not go as planned, their failed effort capping the film’s first act.
Yet that’s not the end of their story, as Andersen employs a shifting narrative structure that devotes four other parts of the film to various characters, the final one seeing each of these plots converge. A soldier (Yahya Mahayni) who begins to doubt the Syrian government’s policies, a smuggler (Omar Sy) attempting to get himself and son out of harm’s way, a poet (Ziad Bakri) trying to get his family to freedom, and a Greek coast guard captain (Constantine Markoulakis) are the others.
Employing a narrative approach that slides up and down the timeline, in which one story begins a month before the events we’ve seen and another only two hours earlier, Andersen gives us differing perspectives to the main event. Each section ends in a cliffhanger, the fate of each of the five principals put into doubt. To his credit, the resolutions the filmmaker provides for each prove surprising. His commitment in showing the horrors of a nation at war and the plight of the oppressed who wish to flee it ensures the movie will have the desired impact.
Using a handheld camera throughout, coupled with a variety of tight shots, Andersen puts us in the shoes of these unfortunates, succeeding mightily in his intent of creating a harrowing vicarious experience. Location shooting and excellent production values also contribute to the realistic mise en scene, especially during the film’s climax, which takes place on an overcrowded boat adrift on a savage sea. One comes away with a greater appreciation of their own life, our concerns rendered petty in light of those graphically displayed on screen.
While some may object to Andersen’s decision not to delve into the complex political issues that prompt this drama, they’re missing the point. This is a film about those caught in the wake of impersonal, prejudicial policies. The movie does not, except for the opening shot, espouse left- or right-wing ideologies. This is a humanist approach, focusing on those helpless to influence change on a grand scale whose lives are nevertheless impacted by those who wield their power with impunity.
As such, the director drives home the idea that those who might suffer or be victimized half a world away represent our suffering too. “I Was A Stranger” powerfully bridges the gap between those in harm’s way and those in relative safety, underscoring that rapidly changing social and political circumstances can put those living in “security” in peril in the blink of an eye. It’s a sobering lesson that becomes more troubling with each passing day.
