Green Border

I have very strong opinions about the treatment of refugees around the world so I knew that seeing Green Border at the Broadway last night would be upsetting, and it was, but I am glad that I did because it is a compassionate portrayal of people willing to do whatever they can to help those who have been unlucky enough to be born with the wrong passport.  Refugees from Africa and the Middle East are lured to Belarus by the dictator Alexander Lukashenko with promises of easy passage to the EU.  However, when they arrive, they are dumped by border guards in a treacherous forested area between Belarus and Poland as a political stunt.  Border guards in Poland, who fear that these refugees are terrorists sent by Lukashanko, transport them back to Belarus in the middle of the night only to be returned again.  This never ending cycle is shown from the perspectives of a Syrian family, including Bashir (Jalal Altawil), his father (Mohamad Al Rashi), his wife Amina (Dalia Naous), his son Nur (Taim Ajjan), and his daughter Ghalia (Talia Ajjan), trying to join a relative in Sweden, a Polish border guard named Jan (Tomasz Wlosok) struggling with the implications of what he is being asked to do, a group of activists, including sisters Marta (Monika Frajczyk) and Zuku (Jasmina Polak), trying to do what they can to help but fearful of being arrested, and a woman living near the forest named Julia (Maja Ostaszewska) willing to help the refugees no matter the cost.  The black and white cinematography, the narrative based on actual events and real people, and the authentic performances from the cast (most of whom worked for little or no compensation) make this seem like a documentary with very real and very high stakes.  I was incredibly moved by scenes depicting humanity both at its worst and at its best.  Of the former, I was particularly struck by a group of border guards who demand that a refugee pay 50 euros for a bottle of water and then pour it out in front of her because, even though there are more harrowing scenes, it is so cruel and petty.  Of the latter, I was moved to tears by a scene showing a group of boys interacting with the teens from the family who rescued them because it shows how similar they are despite their backgrounds.  This is a movie that is definitely going to stay with me for a long time, especially since this is still happening on the border between Belarus and Poland, and I highly recommend it.