“In This World” The reality brought to light by synchronized perspectives

"In This World" synopsis

Peshawar, Pakistan. Jamal, a 15-year-old orphan, grew up in a refugee camp and worked in a factory for low wages. Another of Jamal's cousins, Enayat, helps out at the family electronics store. One day, the two will leave for London. Enayat's father, concerned about his son's future, paid a large sum of money to a smuggler to send Enayat to London, where he had relatives. Jamal also speaks English, so he decides to accompany them. Finally, with their new future and hope in their hearts, they set out on a journey 6,400 kilometers away to a place of exile that brings them close to death...

Index

• The story of a boy who only knew refugee camps
• Another film about an illegal immigrant and a boy from Italy
• What will become clear after learning about the harsh reality of refugees?

The story of a boy who only knew refugee camps

The protagonist of Michael Winterbottom's In This World(2002) is a 15-year-old boy, Jamal, who travels 4,000 miles from the Shamshatou refugee camp in Pakistan to London in search of a better life.

Jamal, an orphan, accompanies his cousin, Enayatullah, to London because he can speak a little English. However, it is not a quick flight. His relatives have paid a smuggler to help them, and they travel a long way by land and sea. Of course, he knows the risks.

The Shamshato refugee camp is a huge camp with tens of thousands of people spread out near the border with Afghanistan in the Peshawar region. The protagonist, Jamal (whose character's name is also Jamal), was born and raised in this refugee camp, and was discovered by director Winterbottom and cast in the film. After filming ended, he actually tried to flee to London, and was allowed to stay there until he turned 18 because he was a minor, but it is unclear what happened to him after that.

The number of Afghan refugees like Jamal increased rapidly after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, reaching a peak of 7.4 million by the time of the multinational forces' invasion after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Jamal was born during the chaotic period after the Soviet invasion, when Afghanistan fell into civil war.

For Jamal, his home country of Afghanistan was a strange country, and the only place he lived was in a refugee camp. In the film, Jamal seems to be fluent in English and lives a strong life, but the real Jamal probably decided to seek asylum in London because he could not see a future there.

On the other hand, Enayatullah, who was already an adult when he participated in the film, did not seem to show any particular admiration or attachment to the West. Enayatullah dies in the film, but in real life he returned to Pakistan and tried to open a toy store with his acting fee, but failed quickly. He bought a truck and started a transportation business. Like Jamal, it is unknown what he is doing now, 15 years after the film's release.

Another "illegal immigrant and boy" movie from Italy