The film Limbo deals poetically and lyrically with the question of exile through the heroic journey of Omar and his Oud. Synopsis: On a small fishing island in Scotland, a group of asylum seekers are waiting to hear their fate. Faced with crazy inhabitants and grotesque situations, everyone clings to the promise of a better life. Among them is Omar, a young Syrian musician, who carries wherever he goes the Oud bequeathed by his grandfather. Between poetry, emotion and humour, Ben Sharrock delivers a poignant film on the plight of refugees. In view of the current geopolitical situation, the issue of the treatment of refugees is at the heart of the news. It is therefore not surprising that the film focuses on this issue. Omar, the main protagonist, is a former oud player (plucked string instrument next to the lute, used in classical Arabic music). He is of Syrian origin and arrives on a fictional Scottish island. Despite a blockage that prevents him from playing his instrument, he continues to take it in a chest wherever he goes. 
The relationship Omar shares with his Oud reflects his emotional evolution in the face of the situation. First a renowned musician, he suffers a blockage that prevents him from exercising his passion but still clings to this instrument. He is also accompanied by several characters, full of hope and dreams too. Among them is Professor Helga who, according to her interpreter Sidse Babett Knudsen, is "a woman with a maternal side who proposes this course as a way to offer a place to exist." 
During our meeting with BEN SHARROCK, he explained his background: "I did university studies where I was able to study in Syria, I knew a Syria that was opening up economically and culturally. Then armed conflict broke out and I had to leave for my own safety. I chose to address the subject of arriving migrants and not their journey, because I worked in reception camps. I have been in contact with these people who are facing exile, loss." "I was inspired by Iranian and Syrian cinema by approaching migration through a poetic approach, through the aspect of visual aesthetics and the stakes of the hero. The choice of a fictional island represents this feeling of non-place. The aesthetics are reflected in the choice of colors as well as the gray sky, the destitution of the decorations." Ben Sharrock says. The visuals of the film are very telling. We find a tone of dark, stormy colors. As if the island – its sky, its places, its inhabitants – was invaded by a fog. The viewer is immersed and grows up at the same time as Omar, this hero who left everything to flee the war in Syria. The relationship he shares with his Oud reflects his emotional evolution in the face of the situation. First a renowned musician, he suffers a blockage that prevents him from exercising his passion but still clings to this instrument. He is also accompanied by several characters, full of hope and dreams too. Among them is Professor Helga who, according to her interpreter Sidse Babett Knudsen, is "a woman with a maternal side who proposes this course as a way to offer a place to exist."
Limbo, synonymous with uncertainty
Through this film, the director takes the bias to treat the subject of migration around the expectation of answer. He places his characters in an in-between situation that he illustrates with the title Limbo, or limbo in French. Through this subtle title, Ben Sharrock makes a metaphor for the state of uncertainty in which the characters find themselves, waiting for salvation. It is a biblical reference. Omar and the other migrants are in between; They have just left the hell of war but have not yet reached the paradise of the "promised land". Omar is a well-known oud player. His Oud is his family heritage, his past life, the person he was. The complex relationship between Omar and his Oud illustrates the evolution of the young man; Omar's trauma is illustrated by his inability to play. The viewer faces the reality of the characters and finds himself completely immersed in this state of uncertainty. Through this film, the audience is able to approach the treatment of migrants in a new way. By evoking immigration through the prism of poetry instead of falling into pathos and miserabilism, Limbo wants to be both poignant and poetic. The film was very well received by the public. It has been awarded in many festivals including Dinard British Film Festival 2021. Among others, it was selected Cannes Film Festival 2020. Director/Writer: BEN SHARROCK Producers: IRUNE GURTUBAI & ANGUS LAMONT Director of photography: NICK COOK Sound engineer: BEN BAIRD Editor: KAREL DOLAK & LUCIA ZUCCHETTI Music: HUTCH DEMOUILPIED Distribution Omar : AMIR EL-MASRY Farhad : IKASH BHAI Wasef : OLA OREBIYI Abedi : KWABENA ANSAH Hamad : SODIENYE OJEWUYI Helga : SIDSE BABETT KNUDSEN Boris : KENNETH COLLARD Plug : CAMERON FULTON Stevie : LEWIS GRIBBEN Cheryl : SILVIE FURNEAUX Tia : IONA ELIZABETH THOMSON Scooter Woman : BARBARA HUNTER Nabil : KAIS NASHIF Abdul : RAADI MAHDI Vikram : SANJEEV KOHLI
