SummaryLimbo is a wry and poignant observation of the refugee experience, set on a fictional remote Scottish island where a group of new arrivals await the results of their asylum claims. It centers on Omar (Amir El-Masry), a young Syrian musician who is burdened by his grandfather’s oud, which he has carried all the way from his homeland.
Directed By:Ben Sharrock
Written By:Ben Sharrock
Limbo
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
83
User score
Generally Favorable
6.7
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
100% Positive
26 Reviews
26 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Jan 17, 2023
100
The poignancy and low-key desperation of the situation in which the men find themselves is balanced by the film’s warmth and gentle humour. In a market crowded with migrant stories, this is something special.
Sep 15, 2020
100
What a thoroughly wonderful sophomore feature from the British director Ben Sharrock – witty, poignant, marvellously composed and shot, moving and even weirdly gripping.
User score
Generally Favorable
66% Positive
23 Ratings
23 Ratings
20% Mixed
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
14% Negative
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
May 27, 2021
10
Wow I wonder why people gave this zeros without comment. Filler filler filler filler filler.
Jul 31, 2022
9
Limbo' will make you remember that borders may have created order but also pain and suffering. Through a simple yet powerful story about a Syrian refugee stuck in Scotland until his asylum is granted, director Ben Sharrock reflects on the unjust struggle of people just looking for a better life. Sharrock is careful not to romanticize the harsh experience of fleeing home because of the danger that represents staying there; the deadpan comedy is just the perfect ingredient to frame the absurdity of waiting ages for an asylum response. Ari Kaurismäki, Yorgos Lanthimos and Wes Anderson fans will salivate with this. But at the core of this movie is Amir El-Masry, who portrays Omar, the Syrian refugee. His subtle smiles and the melancholy of his look elevate his character to the max, making us create a whole and sad backstory in our minds. Also, let's not forget Vikash Bhai, who, as Farhad, portrays the most tender and bonkers character in the film. 'Limbo,' just like 'Flee' and 'His House,' each one with a different style and approach, embodies the tragedy of the refugee crisis and the numerous ways Europe is failing to provide a solution to this huge problem.
Apr 29, 2021
90
Limbo, written and directed by a ferociously talented filmmaker, Ben Sharrock, takes an insinuating, poetic and often wryly funny approach. And it’s both heartbreaking and heartlifting.
Sep 15, 2020
83
What begins as a modest and perhaps slight take on the refugee crisis tinged by an acquired yet welcome taste of British comedy, however, slowly reveals its underlying drama via the stark inevitability of its existence. You can only deflect from your plight so long before the stress and anxiety bubbles back to the surface.
May 2, 2021
80
Limbo handles its themes with enormous grace, balancing despair with levity and a realism that makes this drama emotionally intense and worthwhile.
May 2, 2021
70
The first half is handsome but coy, the second is messier but stronger and fiercer too.
Apr 26, 2021
63
A comedy about the migrant crisis is more daring than a coming-of-age story, and Limbo, wanting it both ways, dilutes its best instincts with sops to formula.
Jan 9, 2022
8
This film is quirky and thoughtful. I liked the way scenes are filmed with a panoramic view of the barren landscape, bringing home how isolating it must be for the few people who find themselves somewhat stranded on small Scottish islands. It shows the Scottish locals as not entirely keen on the refugees, for numerous reasons - I have no doubt racism still exists in Scotland. It made me think about how welcoming Scotland is thought of as being towards foreigners and how this perhaps isn't always the case in reality. The scenes featuring fellow refugees receiving training to do with fitting in with British culture, were eye opening in terms of how the teachers interact with the refugees and at times even slightly amusing, in terms of the dialogue and situations. Its poignant at times, with good cinematography, so I'd certainly recommend it, yes.
Sep 26, 2021
7
This is a film that slowly reveals itself and the characters. The slow pace isn't for everyone - but it treats the subject and the people involved with heart - and art - and nuanced humor. The location shots are gorgeous and I appreciated that they were on-screen long enough to really explore what we were seeing ... I could feel the biting cold and wind. It was an interesting glimpse into the lives of refugees seeking asylum with what is probably a fraction of the very slow pace that the refugees experience waiting for their fates to be determined. Some nice character expositions; the phone calls home feel real. It has some heart-warming moments, like the Sikh who runs the local shop. The blank looks of acceptance on the faces of the refugees when confronted with disrespect or other slights seem right: a non-confrontational way to get by, particularly given the horrors they've escaped to make it to their Scotland holding location.
May 2, 2021
6
Just because a movie character is stuck in limbo doesn't mean viewers should be subjected to the same. Such is the case with this sometimes-humorous drama (blatantly misrepresented in its trailer as a fish-out-of-water comedy) about an asylum-seeking Syrian musician stuck on a remote island off the Scottish coast while awaiting word about his claim. The plodding story, with its exceedingly long, lingering barren landscape shots, all-too-obvious symbolic elements, and quirky attempts at humor that seem stuck on as after-thoughts, examines the refugee crisis from a variety of angles but never really comes up with a cohesive and directed narrative, falling somewhere vaguely between character study and dramatic feature. To be sure, the dramatic elements aren't entirely without merit, but the script delivering them certainly could have used some shoring up to yield a better outcome. Consequently, what audiences are left with in director Ben Sharrock's second feature is a patience-trying offering seeking to find itself almost as much as its lost protagonist is looking to find himself.
May 4, 2021
4
Is the most effective way to depict tedium to make a tedious movie? That appears the approach from first time writer/director Ben Sharrock. It depicts the dreary monotony of living in a bleak environment with almost nothing to do but wait for an answer to the asylum request. One of the immigrants living on this fictional remote Scottish island is a Syrian musician (Amir El-Masry). This film follows his dull life, waiting a lot, taking lessons in Western customs and talking with his parents in Turkey. He also carries his oud (a stringed instrument) everywhere, never having the courage to actually play it. Tedious frustration is the overarching theme behind this story and the review in 2 words. Almost every scene could be half as long and the endless shots of unattractive landscapes just take up time. There’s a message about the immigrant experience, but it’s diluted by the “tedious frustration” of watching the film. [usr =2.5]
Nov 4, 2024
2
Boring. Slow. Self-indulgent. But not worthless. I am disappointed that violated my principle that if a movie is going nowhere by 35 minutes then it not worth hanging on.
Production Company:
- Caravan Cinema
- British Film Institute (BFI)
- Creative Scotland
- Film4
Release Date:Apr 30, 2021
Duration:1 h 44 m
Rating:R
Tagline:Waiting is a Group Effort
Awards
BAFTA Awards, Scotland
• 4 Wins & 5 Nominations
British Independent Film Awards
• 1 Win & 4 Nominations
Cairo International Film Festival
• 3 Wins & 3 Nominations
