173. 21 Miles; movie review

21 MILES
Cert TBA
80 mins
BBFC advice: TBA

Let me be clear - our hearts go out to genuine refugees who are forced from their homeland.
For examples, those from Syria who have had to risk their lives in travelling across Europe and see the UK as salvation.
Documentaries such as Calais Children or even dramas such as The Flood or In Another Life have reinforced our empathy.
However, we found 21 Miles confusing because its director Richard Parry became too close to its subject, a Tunisian man called Kais.
I have read reviews of those who found his story heartbreaking because he was stuck in the Calais jungle, desperate to see his son in England.
However, his back story is kept largely under wraps.
We never know why a qualified mathematician didn't just apply for a visa to visit the UK and hop on a plane.
Tunisians are not barred and there are regular flights from the country to Britain.
It is also clear from the film that Kais is permanently estranged from his mother's son and it is even hinted that she doesn't want him to stay in the UK.
So what sort of relationship do they have and is she in favour of his potential illegal immigration?
And how did he get to the Jungle, what were his intentions when he arrived there and why did he end up staying for 16 months.
Only the final question is answered but it isn't at all clear whether he made any serious attempts to cross the Channel.
Indeed, we were rather lost on the point which Parry is trying to make through his documentary.
Is he saying that there should be free immigration to the United Kingdom for anyone who wants it?
If so, why? And does he believe that the state should simply welcome and house a penniless and jobless person?
Like many, Kais seems to think that merely arriving in the UK will offer certain prosperity and happiness.
Where do he and others in the camp come by this view and, after getting so close to him, why does Parry not tell him of the reality?
But most of all, why alight upon his case to highlight the plight of refugees when there are so many more whose life choices have been made for them?

Reasons to watch: Highlights the plight of a refugee first hand
Reasons to avoid: Quite a strange individual case to choose

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 5/10

Did you know? United for Intercultural Action lists more than 40 migrant deaths in and around Calais during the time of the Jungle. Causes of death include suffocation in the back of a lorry, being hit by a vehicle (including train), beaten to death by people smugglers, killed during a fight between migrants, drowning, suspected heart attack, and suspected murder by right-wing extremists.

The final word. Richard Parry: "This was a real labour of love for me. I’d spent years filming wars on far-flung shores, from Iraq to Afghanistan and the former-Yugoslavia and I felt driven to tell the story of these migrants, a mere 21 miles away from my own shore. Many of the people in the Jungle had fled conflicts I’d filmed, so it was heart-breaking for me to witness both ends of their story." Fab UK

Share this post