"The hand of God is stuck ..." (spoilers)

Towards the end of the film the principal characters are rehearsing a nativity play. The hand of God is a prop to be pulled across the stage at a strategic point. It fails in rehearsal. This funny moment is one of many in a film that is poignant.

Set in a hostel for young people we are introduced to three who are seeking asylum in the UK, or rather Leave to Remain. Omar and Abdul are from Afghanistan and Zazidi is from Guinea. The film explores their stories interwoven with the lives of the group of teens, some British, some foreign. The film is low-key with some very good performances from the cast, notably Omar and Zazidi. In the UK, and the EU at large, migrants are spoken about without speaking themselves. This films allows room for migrant narratives and the complex stories and motivations of those seeking asylum.

The Home Office decisions in the case of Omar versus Zazidi's shows that, as in the play, the hand of God gets stuck sometimes. Abdul has fled Afghanistan because of people like Omar, a member of the Taliban who has made the lives of the ordinary people hell. Yet Omar reveals that he was recruited by the Taliban as a child and used in helping their battles, which led to the deaths of ordinary people. He is a victim as well as a perpetrator. The hand of God is indeed stuck in many countries across the globe and in the complex asylum systems.

A bird sings and the mountain's silence deepens.