There’s nothing to do but waste time in Limbo, the latest from writer/director Ben Sharrock.
It’s never easy to wait, but it’s excruciating when you’re waiting to hear about something as life-altering as your asylum application. That’s exactly the situation Omar finds himself in, forced to wile away time in a strange but quiet part of Scotland. He attempts to learn about his new (and possibly permanent) home, but prejudice and misunderstanding dampen his enthusiasm. Perhaps the only way to find a place is through something he’s carried with him all the way from Syria: his family’s oud.
This appears to be another in a long tradition of understated comedy/dramas with its fish out-of-water protagonists and quiet melancholy. That gives Sharrock, with only one feature under his belt, plenty of places to pull inspiration from, and considering the acclaim Limbo received during its festival run it seems like he tapped into the right ones.
Poised for a potential breakout here is star Amir El-Masry. He’s been bouncing around with small parts in The Night Manager, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but this will allow him to be front and center of a project. If this is as strong a movie as early viewers say it is, then both he and Sharrock could see their careers skyrocket.
Limbo is directed by Ben Sharrock and stars Amir El-Masry, Vikash Bhai, and Ola Orebiyi. It will be released in the US on April 30th, 2021 and in the UK on July 30th, 2021. Further release dates are not currently known.
Will you check this one out? Let us know in the comments!
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