To a Land Unknown

Cousins Chatila (Mahmood Bakri) and Rada (Aram Sabbah) are Palestinian refugees stuck in Athens in Palestinian-Danish director Mahdi Fleifel’s To a Land Unknown. With barely any money between them, the pair do whatever they can to raise the funds for fake passports so that they can start new lives for themselves in Germany. With everything working against them, achieving their dream often feels like an impossibility. What follows is a palpably human drama that’s led by two stellar performances from Bakri and Sabbah.

Athens is presented as being a metaphorical purgatory in this film. It’s a place where dozens of migrants and other lost souls find themselves wandering the streets or hanging out in rundown squats as they wait for their opportunity to leave. And when events take a darker turn after the cousins attempt to help 13-year-old Malik (Mohammad Alsurafa) escape to Italy partway into the plot, it becomes clear just how precarious their situation is. In addition to the cramped and grimy locations the characters find themselves in, the grainy cinematography also plays a key role in establishing this Athens as a bleak place to exist in that’s lurking underneath the vibrant city.

Although the plot is rather sparse and loses some of its momentum in the second half, the central turns from its leads carry this project all the way to its sombre ending. The characters are written with such vulnerability, which Bakri and Sabbah effortlessly convey on screen. While Chatila is eager to be reunited with his wife and young child who are staying at a refugee camp, Rada is struggling with drug addiction and has resorted to turning tricks to pay for it. The focus primarily stays on the pair’s strong bond as they negotiate their situation together. The drama is grounded in its expectation, and the impact of their plight hits all the harder because of it.

Fleifel has created a stirring portrayal of life as a refugee with To a Land Unknown. Just as impressive as its haunting setting and brilliant performances, though, is that this feature was somehow completed in around six months. 

Andrew Murray

To a Land Unknown is released in select cinemas on 14^th February 2025.

Watch the trailer for To a Land Unknown here: