Limbo is a 2020 British comedy-drama film, directed by Ben Sharrock.[2] The film centres on four asylum seekers who are staying on a remote island in Scotland, and taking cultural awareness classes, while awaiting the processing of their refugee claims.
| Limbo | |
|---|---|
 Official poster | |
| Directed by | Ben Sharrock |
| Written by | Ben Sharrock |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Nick Cooke |
| Edited by | Karel Dolak Lucia Zucchetti |
| Music by | Hutch Demouilpied |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | MUBI |
Release dates |
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Running time | 103 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $921,894[1] |
The film was named as an Official Selection of the 2020 Cannes Film Festival, but was not screened due to the cancellation of the physical festival in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] The film has gained positive reviews and has won several awards and nominations. Limbo garnered four nominations at the 2020 British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs) including Amir El-Masry Best Actor, Irune Gurtubai Breakthrough Producer, and Nick Cooke Best Cinematography, for which it won Breakthrough Producer.[4] It has also been nominated for two British Academy Film Awards, including Outstanding British Film.
Plot
An offbeat observation of the refugee experience. On a fictional remote Scottish island, a group of new arrivals await the results of their asylum claims. Among them is Omar, a young Syrian musician burdened by the weight of his grandfather's oud, which he has carried all the way from his homeland.[5]
Cast
- Amir El-Masry as Omar
- Vikash Bhai as Farhad
- Ola Orebiyi as Wasef
- Kwabena Ansah as Abedi
- Kenneth Collard as Boris
- Kais Nashef as Nabil
- Sidse Babett Knudsen as Helga
Release
The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 12 September 2020.[6] Prior to, MUBI acquired U.K. and Irish distribution rights to the film.[7] It was initially set to world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2020, prior to its cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8][3] In February 2021, Focus Features acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film.[9] It was released in the United States on 30 April 2021,[10] and the United Kingdom on 30 July 2021.[11]
Reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 93% based on 122 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "A profoundly uplifting portrait of the refugee experience, Limbo is distinguished by its offbeat tone -- and overall impressive work from debuting director Ben Sharrock."[12] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian praised Limbo's "elegant deadpan style established from the outset, Sharrock soon gets you to invest in the characters and care deeply about what happens to them. Limbo is about refugees and asylum seekers in Britain, and it's a bracingly internationalist and non-parochial piece of work: film-making with a bold view on the world but also as gentle and intimate as a much-loved sitcom... This is superlative film-making from Sharrock."[13]
of RogerEbert.com, stating that "Sharrock’s greatest feat here isn't using all these absurdist touches towards achieving a sensitive, reflective sort of humor".[14]
Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Cairo International Film Festival | Best Film (FIPRESCI Prize) | Ben Sharrock | Won | [15] |
| Best Film (Golden Pyramid) | Ben Sharrock,
Irune Gurtubai, Angus Lamont |
Won | [15] | ||
| Best Artistic Contribution | Ben Sharrock | Won | [15] | ||
| BFI London Film Festival | Audience Award | Ben Sharrock,
Irune Gurtubai, Angus Lamont |
Nominated | [16] | |
| San Sebastián International Film Festival | Youth Jury Award | Ben Sharrock | Won | [17] | |
| Zurich Film Festival | Best International Feature Film | Ben Sharrock | Nominated | [18] | |
| 2021 | Goteborg Film Festival | Best Film | Ben Sharrock | Nominated | [19] |
| British Academy Film Awards | BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Film | Ben Sharrock,
Irune Gurtubai, Angus Lamont |
Nominated | [20] | |
| BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer | Ben Sharrock,
Irene Gurtubai |
Nominated | [20] | ||
| British Independent Film Awards | Breakthrough Producer | Irene Gurtubai | Won | [4] | |
| Best Actor | Amir El-Masry | Nominated | [4] | ||
| Best Casting | Dan Jackson | Nominated | [4] | ||
| Best Cinematography | Nick Cooke | Nominated | [4] |
References
- ^ "Limbo (2020)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
- ^ Matt Donnelly, "CAA Signs Ben Sharrock, Director of Cannes Indie ‘Limbo’". Variety, July 20, 2020.
- ^ a b Alex Ritman, "Cannes Hidden Gem: Ben Sharrock on his Absurdist Refugee Drama 'Limbo'". The Hollywood Reporter, 25 June 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "CRAFT WINNERS ANNOUNCED FOR BIFA 2020 · BIFA · British Independent Film Awards". BIFA · British Independent Film Awards. 25 January 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
- ^ Limbo, retrieved 29 January 2021
- ^ Victoria Ahearn, "TIFF announces all 50 titles for pandemic-tailored 2020 event". Toronto Star, 30 July 2020.
- ^ Dalton, Ben (3 September 2020). "Mubi takes UK & Ireland on Ben Sharrock's Cannes 2020, TIFF title 'Limbo' (exclusive)". Screen International. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
- ^ Roxborough, Scott (3 June 2020). "Cannes 2020 Lineup Unveiled". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (10 February 2021). "Focus Features Takes U.S. & Most Of The World On Cannes & TIFF Selection 'Limbo'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (12 March 2021). "Focus Features Sets Spring Release For BAFTA-Nominated 'Limbo'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
- ^ "Limbo". Film Distributors Association. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
- ^ "Limbo (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Limbo review – heart-rending portrait of refugees stranded in Scotland". the Guardian. 11 September 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
- ^ Laffly, Tomris. "Limbo movie review & film summary (2021) | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com/. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
- ^ a b c "award winning films of 2020 – Cairo International Film Festival". Retrieved 11 March 2021.
- ^ "BFI London Film Festival 2020". BFI. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
- ^ "San Sebastian Film Festival". sansebastianfestival. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
- ^ "Zurich Film Festival". Zurich Film Festival (in German). Retrieved 11 March 2021.
- ^ "Streama hundratals handplockade filmer från hela världen | Göteborg Film Festival - Draken Film". drakenfilm.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 11 March 2021.
- ^ a b "2021 EE British Academy Film Awards: The Nominations". www.bafta.org. 9 March 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2021.