by John Zenoni
Ok, I am one of the rare ones among my fellow movie buffs who just doesn’t get British humor. Some of it's ok but then most of the time I just don’t see what's so funny. Well I watched the screening of a new British film, ‘Limbo’, in which something clicked and I absolutely found some of the scenes flat out hysterical. I've read where comparisons are being made to Wes Anderson films as well and I can see why.
This is a great comedy-drama film about refugees on a remote Scottish Island seeking asylum in the UK. Unfortunately, most of them are in ‘limbo’, thus the title of the film. The central character is a young Syrian musician named Omar, who plays an instrument called an oud, which is similar to a guitar. Omar is kind of wandering through his life waiting to hear the outcome of his asylum application. In the meantime, he communicates with his family via the only pay phone on the island. He's also learning to adjust to living with other people with quirky and odd personalities, thus where a lot of humor comes into play. The way they interact with each other is just hysterical, including during the classes that they have to attend. While Omar does seem to be lost and in a hopeless daze, when he finally plays his instrument for an audience he comes alive. It's a great scene!
While comedic in spots, the film also addresses a serious subject but does it in a great way. The actors all work with each other so well and the interjections of sudden scenes or actors, such as a person in a scooter or a delivery truck playing classic music is just too funny.
The other amazing thing is the cinematography - absolutely beautiful scenes of the island.
Great film!
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