minjoo-00707 Review of Welcome

Welcome (I) (2009)

Good Depiction of Life of Those Who Were Not Welcomed

[9/10 · 12 April 2018]

The reason why we watch movies is not only to see what the content is, but also to see how the content is delivered. Content-wise, the movie portrays the refugee policies and situations in France well, as we see a clash between activists and the government, refugees' desire to go to England, and formation of a "camp" in the shore. However, I think the area in which this movie shines the most is how it describes the content. Welcome captures the atmosphere of "The Jungle" of refugees poignantly. When I think back at the movie, I see every scene in grey. From the beginning to the end, I got the feeling that the whole movie is just grey, meaning that it has this strong gloomy and depressing mood, which portrays the situations of refugees. Additionally, Philippe Lioret creates a connection between the life of Bilal and plastic bag throughout the movie. We see how Bilal is claustrophobic, as he has a bad experience with putting a plastic bag over his head, but in the end, he is delivered back to Calais in a plastic bag. This creates a sense that no matter how hard he tries to escape, he ended back up in a plastic bag. This accentuates claustrophobic life that Bilal has, as well as the general experience of refugees. The feeling of being confined and incarcerated, not having anywhere else to go freely, also parallels with being inside a camp, exemplifying that camp is a both real and metaphorical concept. In regards to the ending, I was personally taken aback by the sad ending, as somehow I thought it would end with Bilal arriving at England and reuniting with his girlfriend. Nonetheless, I appreciate that it did not end that way. If it was a happy ending, then this movie would not have been representative of thousands of suffering refugees. Therefore, in general, I believe this movie did a good job in delivering the overall atmosphere of the refugee situations in Calais.