Entertainment

Film Review: Human Flow

human flow movie

Renowned activist and artist Ai Weiwei creates a powerful and sharp image of the refugee crisis that affects the world. Human Flow uses effective and poignant images and shots to show a new perspective on refugees.

 

Refugees and immigration has been in the spotlight and public mind for some time now. Even with the media attention and exposure this subject matter has it’s still easy to detach oneself from what we hear and see and our own personal lives. With an issue that has been at the forefront for so long the images we see start to lose their impact.

Human Flow looks to refresh our vision and shine a new light in what has really become a world-wide crisis. From the shores of Greece, the deserts of Lebanon and the Mexican-American border the struggles of people escaping conflict and injustice are everywhere. It’s fair to say that the world was not prepared for the sheer scale of this matter and that handling it has been difficult and mired with moral trials. Images of thousands of immigrants stranded at the Macedonian border, new tent towns struggling to survive in Lebanon, the harsh desert winds in Dadaab.

Human Flow more than anything is an experiment in cinematography. There is only a small amount of dialog from people involved with trying to help refugees. The rest of the film is just images. Beautiful yet haunting shots, one after the other highlighting the scope and magnitude of this problem. Long tracking shots, high birds eye shots, plodding hand cam shot. All designed to take in as much as it can of how devastating this issue has become. Destroyed cities, fetid slums and conditions unfit for human life. Ai Weiwei captures all of this but he also captures the perseverance of the people. Surviving against the odds, walking huge distances and pushing through dangerous conditions. Ai Weiwei immerses himself with the people and experiences their labours first hand to humanise a group that for a long time have just been stories in the news.

Human Flow is being shown at multiple times this Tuesday and Wednesday at Palace Nova Eastend. Get in while you can to get a fresh insight into the growing refugee crisis.

Check out the official site here.

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