Reviewing the German short film “Stranger at home” (2010)

First of all, this is a Hamburg Media School production. Having seen all the short films from the Hamburg Media School film class of 2010, I have to say that the short films being produced there have shown amazing quality and talent.

”Stranger at home” features Azad, a young Iranian man living with his family at an asylum for immigrants in Hamburg. He’s in state of toleration due to which he cannot find work nor leave the city. He keeps applying with no results other than the obvious: he is not permitted to work nor do anything. Azad gets more and more discouraged with the situation he is in. And when his German girlfriend wants to move to Berlin, Azad is put to the test. Will he sacrifice his family for his own freedom?

Now, honestly, when I read that the plot was on immigrants in Germany, I thought to myself that this would a very ”common” story, as to why life is so hard for immigrants by portraying various clichés. ”Stranger at home” really took me by surprise. The cast is terrific, in particular protagonist. The family set up and milieu is very convincing, because it appears. In particular Azad’s struggle with his own identity captivated me. The generation clash and feeling of not belonging neither to his own culture nor the country he lives in, and basically grew up in, really gets you involved and feel empathy for him.

Azad is constantly on the run, from the very beginning of the short film. His girlfriend and him run from the police, when they are discovered having sex at the beach. Azad runs away, his girlfriend follows and they cross the river in order to not get fined. And for Azad, in order to not having to give the police his document of state of toleration. He is afraid of being kicked out of a system that basically does not want him. He rides his bike fast, he runs away from his family.

The metaphors, the cinematography and the actors work really well in this short film. Also, the short film is set during the Iranian revolution emphasizing the struggle back at home as well as the current one at (stranger at) home. Being far away from home without being able to return to home, while being in a strange new home country.

In the end Azad is facing the ultimate dilemma having to choose between his family and his freedom.

This is female director Lenà Liberta’s sixth short film and, as I have just learned, being screened at festivals around the world. Lena Albertà has succeeded in approaching a subject that has been portrayed over and over again, in a manner that touches your heart, because of the striking reality of the universe and struggle her main character is finding himself in.

See it!

Director: Lena Libertà, Germany 2010, 23:30 Min.

Director:	Lena Liberta
Book:	Lena Liberta, Florian Alschweig
Camera:	Timo Moritz
Cut:	Anne Beutel
Music:	Jonas Gervink, Andre Feldhaus
Sound:	Phillip Dittrich, Corinna Zink, Ray Böge
Actors:	Arash Marandi, Nina Gummich, Ramin Yazdani, Mouna Sabbagh
Production:	Hamburg Media School, Filmwerkstatt

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