Fire at Sea
Description
Samuele, an anxious young boy and slingshot aficionado with a lazy eye, is among the memorable locals who take a turn in the spotlight alongside migrants in Gianfranco Rosi’s beautiful and moving neorealist documentary. For the director, the small Sicilian island of Lampedusa acts as a focal point to address the European refugee crisis; a rocky and barren place that has become a primary point of entry for those fleeing war and other ravages in Africa. Fire at Sea shows the perils of these journeys—overcrowding, dehydration, and death—while avoiding emotional grandstanding or partisan politics. No hyperbolic voiceover or intrusive score here; just the undeniable, heart-wrenching facts of the situation. Fire at Sea, which won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, brilliantly juxtaposes the side-by-side relationship of Lampedusa’s residents with the desperate people trying to reach her shores and leaves the viewer to make the subtle connections between the two.
Trailer
//www.youtube.com/embed/st22_s7BB1IFilm Details
Language Italian
Year 2016
Runtime 108
Country Italy/France
Director Gianfranco Rosi
Producer Donatella Palermo, Gianfranco Rosi
Editor Jacopo Quadri
Cinematographer Gianfranco Rosi
Print Source Kino Lorber Inc.