Comwayon
A Disappointing Continuation
Dynamixor
The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.
KnotStronger
This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.
erinaurielhendry
The film Welcome places the viewer in the midst of a young refugee's struggle to immigrate from France to Britain in order to unite with his young love. The refugee at the center of the story, Bilal, is a young Kurdish man who befriends a Frenchman swimmer by the name of Simon Calmat. Throughout the film, the two men form an unusual bond through which the viewer is exposed to some of the issues surrounding refugee immigration in France. The film's strength lies in its depiction of the relationship between the French citizens and the migrants. Many scenes in the film explore the complicated relationship between the two groups. For example, early in the film Calmat and his soon-to-be-ex-wife enter a grocery store and witness a security guard refuse service to two migrants. Calmat is unmoved by the conformation which suggests that during his time in Calais, he has become numb to these type of interactions. The apathy Calmat originally displays is indicative of how most French citizen have feel about the plight of the refugees. This indifference is the result of the policies and attitudes set forth by the French government which attempts to dehumanize the refugee population to the French citizens in an attempt to reduce the amount of refugees within the state.
The film also explores the relationship between relief workers and the French government. The aid workers, who are French citizens, attempt to provide food and water to the migrants. These acts appear to only meet the basic human needs of the refugees, but the French government condemns them as they believe such actions encourage refugees to stay in France. In the film, French immigration officers attempt to shut down the efforts of the aid workers by suggesting they helped Calmat harbor Bilal. The struggle between the French relief workers and the government depicted in the film accurately displays the current relationship of the two groups. It is refreshing to see a film attempt to address such complicated issues. It probes the question of what actions one should take when your basic responsibilities to feed and clothe your neighbors is at odds with the legislature put forth by your government.
One issue with the film is how it chooses to portray the character of Bilal. While the film does an admirable job of humanizing the refugee, but it falls prey to the common film ploy of presenting him as the perfect victim and therefore deserving of aide. Bilal always appears to be respectful and is driven by admirable intentions. His undying love for his young girlfriend, Mina, further supports his imagine as the perfect victim. The film could have been improved if Bilal was a more developed character. Perpetuation of the perfect victim ideology suggests that there are only certain refugees worth saving. While the film does engage in some clichés regarding its depiction of Bilal, the film overall is a powerful story that examines the way refugees are treated in a European nation.
lmucha-44574
Welcome, a film that tells the story of a young Kurdish boy trying to get from Calais to England, does a nice job of depicting an illegal alien's struggle to establish himself in a new world, but has a great deal of white-washing common in "hollywood" style films. The film's main pitfall is its relatively implausible plot: a French divorcee training an illegal immigrant to swim across the English Channel and reunite with his girlfriend from home. Although the characters themselves are deeply moving, the plot felt a tad trite. The film's depiction of women as more emotional, humanistic, and ancillary was disappointing as well. The French swim coach made for a nice character and developed a meaningful relationship with Bilal, the young migrant, but his "sad divorcee" storyline felt like a stale trope. Regardless, the film's tragic ending was both moving and relevant in an increasingly global world.
Amelia Earhart
'Vem Vindo' is a moving film that highlights the issues of immigration and refugee law, and the serious consequences that these discrepancies can have on individuals. Bilal, a 17-year-old Kurd from Iraq, travels 3 months to Calais, attempting to go to Britain to reunite with his girlfriend. However, he is met with challenges from international law, the French government, and the divided French public that ultimately puts him in a concentration camp-like situation. The French government and police force actively try to get refugees out of Calais, yet there's nowhere else for the refugees to go. Due to flawed international law, the refugees are not sent back to Iraq because it is a warzone, however, they cannot claim any status or residency in France and are not allowed to cross the border and the Channel into England. They are all essentially stuck in this town with no means to even try to create a sustainable life since they are banned from stores and cannot hold jobs. Besides being interned in a physical sense in Calais and 'The Jungle', the camp for refugees, they are also abused in a mental sense, whether or not they're in the camp. They are banned from stores, they have nowhere to bathe, and the police mimic camp guards by enforcing bans on the refugees, attacking them via means of tear gas, and encouraging the French public to dehumanize the already victimized group. The police essentially enact a camp hierarchy in Calais, as the refugees are at the bottom, and any French citizen who aids the refugees is punished as well. With that being said, the citizens in Calais are at odds with each other, as can be seen with Simon's neighbor snitching on him for helping Bilal. People have to constantly live in fear as the police have eyes everywhere and can use their power to manipulate others. The citizens who due choose to degrade and/or ignore the refugees are also a huge part of the problem as is brought to light by Marion. She calls out Simon for ignoring the issue when the refugees were barred from entering a general store to buy soap. Yet, even when Simon goes to create sustainable change for Bilal, Marion acts cowardly and tells him to stop.While the movie highlighted the harsh realities of a camp system, it also failed to recognize many problems refugees face. Bilal gets lucky and is cared for by Simon, but most people are not so lucky. As viewers, we get to see little of "The Jungle", the camp for refugees. This is where the real damage due to lack of resources like shelter and food come into play. We see one character continue to harass Bilal for money, but besides that there is little emphasis for the urgency of resources. This movie does a great job of introducing the public to camp systems but has just scratched the surface of the true suffering refugees face.
billcr12
Welcome is French film dealing with the issue of immigration. Bilal is a Kurdish Iraqi illegal immigrant living in France who wants to swim the channel to be reunited with his girlfriend in England. He finds a swimming coach to train him for the long crossing and the man, Simon, becomes a father figure as well as tutor. After legal problems, Bilal winds up living in Simon's home. He also encounters obstacles to his pending marriage due to his girls father being opposed to him and arranging for his daughter to marry her cousin.Welcome is a combination of Rocky and Chariots of Fire, two previous movies about overcoming great challenges to accomplish your dreams. I was impressed with the storyline and also the excellent cast and I highly recommend this work.
