I am an emigrant, so let me warn you: this is my personal list of films about emigration and emigrants.
What’s noteworthy is that it’s rare for a “direct” film about emigration to resonate deeply with me.
These films, however, align with my experience of the profound internal shifts brought about not just by moving my body from point A to point B, but by the displacement of a part of my soul.
(Minor spoilers ahead)
Touki Bouki
1973 Senegal
Directed by Djibril Diop Mambéty
This African classic by Senegalese filmmaker Djibril Diop Mambéty captures the essence of any emigrant’s experience, regardless of time or place.
The story follows a young couple determined to escape to France by ship.
Yet, they end up grappling not with external obstacles – which they handle relatively well – but with an internal struggle.
This battle is one of parting ways with the familiar suffering of home in exchange for the unknown and alien.
Rich in symbolism, the film evokes a sense of comfort in belonging to one’s cultural context.
The climax, featuring the symbolic skull of a dead animal – a relic of their culture – raises a question: is the director hinting that any culture not striving to break free is bound to stagnate, or even die?
Casablanca
1942 USA
Directed by Michael Curtiz
A brilliant film set in the stunning city of Casablanca, Morocco, during wartime.
Refugees from across Europe gather here, all seeking visas to Portugal as a gateway to America and safety from the war.
The protagonist, having fled America himself, becomes a mirror of the entire situation.
He’s travelled to the far side of the world to pursue his ideals, only to become a bridge for others desperate to escape.
The film’s irony lies in the all-too-familiar “visa issues” that shatter lives and drive negotiation – something every emigrant knows far too well.
With a captivating performance by Bogart, the film underscores the relentless urgency and the endless problems that need solving amid the chaos of war. (Oh, how relatable this feels in 2024!)
The Third Man
1949 United Kingdom
Directed by Carol Reed
A vibrant, noir-inspired war film about an American who arrives in post-war Vienna at a friend’s invitation to make some quick cash.
There, he meets a woman from Czechoslovakia living in the city with forged documents.
As in Casablanca, the geographical backdrop plays a crucial role.
Post-war Vienna, divided among Allied forces, leaves one unsure of which country they’re truly in.
I adore this kind of geographical ambiguity, especially when it’s portrayed so naturally.
Ultimately, borders are mere labels; in reality, we move between very specific places, almost like in a game.
Sans soleil
1982 France
Directed by Chris Marker
A documentary by traveller and filmmaker Chris Marker, this isn’t about emigration per se but about immersing oneself in foreign cultures and how inner perceptions draw complex analogies in the search for universal ideas.
The film blends worlds as diverse as Japan, Guinea-Bissau, and Los Angeles.
This cinematic essay allows you to feel your own perception at work when you find yourself in an unfamiliar place.
The sensation of unexpected memories surfacing has been central to my experience of emigration.
Sometimes, parts of your soul that never seemed to fit together in your familiar life suddenly meet in a new place, almost like in a dream.
This is precisely what Marker’s film conveys – a collage of shots in the style of Dziga Vertov, graspable only on an intuitive level.
2001: A Space Odyssey
1968 USA, United Kingdom
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Don’t laugh! Yes, it’s about emigration to another planet, and this near-silent masterpiece touches on countless themes.
Among them is the deep sense of alienation in the human condition, always searching for a place to belong – everywhere but the one it started in.
Many emigrants will tell you they wouldn’t have truly known themselves without the experience of emigration.
Isn’t it symbolic that the journey of body and soul ends in the “room of thought,” a place akin to a camera obscura, refracting all our experiences into something profoundly unfamiliar yet undeniably intimate?
