{"id":22639,"date":"2021-04-29T09:06:14","date_gmt":"2021-04-29T16:06:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=22639"},"modified":"2021-04-29T09:06:14","modified_gmt":"2021-04-29T16:06:14","slug":"limbo-makes-a-lasting-impression","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=22639","title":{"rendered":"LIMBO Makes a Lasting Impression"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/24_0009_B-merged.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14439\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>This film from Focus Features will be playing at operating\ncinemas and drive-ins on April 30<sup>th<\/sup>. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Creating an exceptional comedy or drama that is unapologetically\noffbeat can be a tricky proposition. Especially when a feature follows a\nsingular and unusual vision which may not appeal to a large demographic. The\nlatest feature to follow the beat of its own drummer is <em>Limbo<\/em>, a British\nproduction that mixes serious issues like immigration with deadpan humor and\nbizarre situations. Admittedly, not very member of the audience will laugh at\nthe oddball situations on display. However, the approach generally works and the\nperformances are so strong that the end result feels fresh and engaging.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Limbo-04-fixed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-22641\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The story takes place on a remote island off the coast of\nScotland that has been chosen as a site for refugees seeking asylum in the UK. Omar\n(Amir El-Masry) is a musician from war-torn Syria who arrives carrying his oud,\na traditional instrument that once belonged to his grandfather. He\u2019s welcomed\nby the bubbly Farhad (Vikash Bhai), a Pakistani man who has been waiting years\nfor his case to be processed. The pair and others hoping to earn citizenship\nspend long hours watching and discussing the finer points and plotlines of TV shows\nlike <em>Friends<\/em>, attend awkward demonstrations on local customs and culture\nand have strange and sometimes tense encounters with residents. While waiting\nto find out if they can stay, the men also share their tragic pasts and hopes\nfor the future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Limbo-03-fixed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-22642\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Early sections of the movie are very amusing, particularly\nas the refugees quietly watch surreally performed reenactments on subjects like\nsexual harassment. Their deadpan stares are hilarious, as well as the\nconversations that follow, as well as the comments and questions that arise\nfrom what they have witnessed. The film uses a muted sense of humor deftly as\nit places characters in an odd and cut-off environment and emphasizes just how\nalien it feels to be in a foreign land. In addition to a couple of enjoyable\ninteractions with some less-than-brainy residents, there is also a funny series\nof scenes involving Omar visiting a tiny, slimly-stocked grocery with an owner\nwho prefers using a loudspeaker to communicate with shoppers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of course, the jokes help viewers relate to the characters and\nfeel their plight as the more dramatic story elements take prominence. As events\nprogress, the movie makes a deeper impression as the men are forced to deal with\nbad news, their uncertain future and personal trials being endured. The\ntalented but troubled Omar must eventually come to terms with the guilt and\nfrustration he feels for leaving his family behind. These emotions come from\nthe fact that his much-loved sibling has remained in Syria to continue fighting\nfor their home in the civil war and he is further troubled about how to play his\nmusic in a new land with an instrument unknown to residents. Even the upbeat\nand optimistic Farhad eventually reveals a fear of what could happen to him if his\napplication is rejected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Limbo-02-fixed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-22643\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The movie does a wonderfully subtle job of introducing sweet\nand relatable characters in an eccentric and amusing way, pulling us in for the\nissues addressed later in the picture. Despite the film\u2019s unorthodox methods\nand approach, it\u2019s a very clever and effective technique. If you can get on its\nparticular wavelength and share its low-key and sometimes surreal sense of\nhumor, then <em>Limbo<\/em> will ultimately impress and make a lasting\nimpression.&nbsp; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This film from Focus Features will be playing at operating cinemas and drive-ins on April 30th. Creating an exceptional comedy or drama that is unapologetically offbeat can be a tricky proposition. Especially when a feature follows a singular and unusual vision which may not appeal to a large demographic. The latest feature to follow the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":22640,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[206,1257,4660,6251,6671,7700,9688,12422,12423,12424,12425,16537,16817,17789,23788],"class_list":["post-22639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-movie-reviews","tag-206","tag-amir-el-masry","tag-comedy","tag-drama","tag-eccentric","tag-focus-features","tag-immigrant","tag-limbo","tag-limbo-film-review","tag-limbo-movie-review","tag-limbo-review","tag-quirky","tag-refugee","tag-scotland","tag-vikash-bhai"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22639"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22639\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}