Limbo

Focus Features | Release Date: April 30, 2021

6.8	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 26 Ratings

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TVJerryMay 4, 2021

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 waitIs 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]… Expand

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Brent_MarchantMay 2, 2021

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 anJust 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.… Expand

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