To a Land Unknown Review: A Harsh Poem on Palestinian Exile

      Note: This review was initially published as part of our coverage of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. To a Land Unknown opens in theaters on July 11.

      The tragic situation of the Palestinians and their current suffering merits careful analysis and breakdown, with various contested historical narratives undergoing fresh examination. In Mahdi Fleifel’s feature debut, To a Land Unknown, we find ourselves in a disorienting present tense, where there's rarely any opportunity for contemplation, only a struggle for survival.

      The director grew up in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, a background reflected in the film’s central characters, before moving to Denmark and studying in the UK; consequently, he has never directly experienced the Israeli occupation. His noteworthy documentaries include I Signed the Petition, a 10-minute short that gained significant attention regarding the calls to boycott Radiohead's 2017 concert in Tel Aviv. To a Land Unknown demonstrates a smooth transition to fiction for him, always grounded in thorough research; the unfolding narrative is intensely dramatic, yet the chaotic sequence of events remains believable.

      Though it may seem straightforward, Fleifel’s work, with esteemed British filmmaker Fyzal Boulifa and Jason McGolgan as co-writers, places us firmly in the worn shoes of two archetypal Palestinian refugees, first cousins Chatila (Mahmood Bakri) and Reda (Aram Sabbah), who use Athens as a stepping stone toward settling in Germany (a sorrowful and prophetic detail given that country’s response to the war), where they aspire to open a café featuring traditional Middle Eastern dishes. To a Land Unknown resonates with the refugee stories depicted on screen in the past decade, yet the protagonists’ Palestinian identity establishes a particularly serious and urgent connection with viewers, prompting us to perceive these young men as part of a continuum characterized by persistent denials of civil recognition and dignity, with the notion of “home” being an elusive concept.

      To put it bluntly, Fleifel’s debut bears a resemblance to the Dardennes’ recent film Tori and Lokita, albeit with greater credibility here. There is the trafficker Marwan (Monzer Reyahnah) offering fake travel documents, who accepts payment in installments; despite his boastful claims of solidarity (evidenced by a prominent photo of Arafat in his place, a statesman now viewed with less certainty), is he exploiting these desperate men for his gain? A series of new complications and hurdles arise: to demonstrate their efforts are not in vain and to pay forward goodwill, Malik (Mohammad Alsurafa), a resourceful young refugee managing on his own, can potentially be passed off as the son of Chatila’s occasional romantic interest Tatiana, a local played by Angeliki Papoulia of Dogtooth and The Lobster fame. The intense existential anguish of the situation has a significant impact on Reda; as a gay man, he engages in sex work in a local park to help bolster the cousins' savings, yet this money often feeds his debilitating heroin addiction. This vulnerability and non-conformity amplify the dramatic tension between the men, contrasting with Chatila’s inconsistent adherence to family values (he has an affair with Tatiana while his wife is back in the camp) and moments of chauvinism.

      As a last-minute opportunity for their escape emerges, Chatila and Reda's actions start to become increasingly indefensible, yet they remain compelling characters due to their palpable desperation and alienation. The screenplay is also daring and thought-provoking in portraying the various refugees they share space with, primarily Palestinians along with a few Syrians, in conflict with one another; the conflict turns inward as well as outward. Fleifel’s gestures towards sectarian and democratic conflicts within the Palestinian Territories themselves raise further challenging questions for viewers.

      Drawing inspiration from the somber wave of '70s American buddy films, To a Land Unknown aims to endear itself to audiences, steering clear of overly discursive elements to effectively evoke anger and empathy. I found it deeply impactful upon leaving the screening, although it has since faded a bit in my memory. Nonetheless, this kind of contemporary and relevant cinema is a valuable contribution, providing a direct connection to the outside world that informs what unfolds on screen.

      To a Land Unknown premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.