Film
Styx

Mon, 25.11.2019
6:10 PM Belmont Filmhouse

Wofgang Fischer | Germany, Austria 2018 | 1h 34m | English and German with English subtitles | 12A
Cast: Susanne Wolff , Gedion Oduor Wekesa

Emergency doctor Rike departs from the port of Gibraltar and sets course for the idyllic and secluded Ascension Island. En route, she soon encounters a critically damaged boat carrying refugees in desperate need of rescue. Instructed by authorities to hold course and leave them adrift, she’s faced with the ultimate human dilemma - risk punishment by helping or be burdened with the guilt of ignoring their plight.

By bringing this tragic encounter to the screen, director Wolfgang Fischer creates an allegory that illustrates the insurmountable gulf between a wealthy Europe and an African continent beset by poverty, political instability and all the hardships associated with it, violence, injustice and persecution. The film also seems to pose a fundamental question: faced with an emergency, what can we do as individuals when the authorities and those in power choose to ignore it?

Wolfgang Fischer’s timely moral thriller is one of the most focused and compassionate cinematic depictions of the refugee crisis, winning several awards around the world, including three at Berlin International Film Festival 2018 and four at the German Film Festival 2018.