To a Land Unknown (2024) — Mahdi Fleifel

Occupied Palestinian Territory/Greece/Denamrk/United Kingdom/Netherlands, DCP, 105 mins.

About To a Land Unknown

After fleeing a camp in Lebanon, two Palestinian cousins––Chatila and Reda––are stranded in Athens, living in an underground limbo. Desperately seeking a way to reach Germany, they find themselves caught in an uncontrollable spiral. As they save to pay for fake passports, Reda loses their hard-earned cash to his dangerous drug addiction. In response, Chatila hatches an extreme plan for their escape, which involves posing as smugglers and taking hostages. Nourished by New York cinema (notably Midnight Cowboy), To a Land Unknown races along like an edgy thriller, tragic but stripped back. A compelling, uncompromising and nuanced look at the living conditions of migrants.