A hardened immigration officer decides the fate of a dangerous asylum seeker.
“The Flood” begins with a prologue stating, “currently, some 70 million individuals have been forcibly displaced by persecution, conflict, and violence around the world.” In a rare protagonist role, Lena Headey plays Wendy, an experienced immigration officer stationed near the English Channel. She’s currently living apart from her family and her grueling workdays are spent interviewing asylum seekers. The story moves fast and things kick off when a truck is pulled over by British police and they arrest a stowaway from the trailer. A handsome North African man introduces himself as Haile (Ivanno Jeremiah) and he’s brought into Wendy’s interrogation room for questioning.
Haile’s journey from reluctant militant, to deserting his unit to cross the Mediterranean in a doomed dingy, is all told in brief compelling flashbacks. I think it’s the first time I’ve seen a dramatization of the daunting trek so many refugees are forced to undertake. The score is slightly over-dramatic but the scenes remain heartwrenching and effective. Haile ends up in “The Jungle,” a deplorable tent city outside the Port of Calais which is a popular route for crossing the English Channel. Haile befriends a Pakistani couple that offers a way to travel on a truck to London, but they must place their lives in the hands of an Afghani trafficker. The screenplay by Helen Kingston does a fantastic job of putting a human face on a global issue but oddly keeps the geopolitics that’s driving the crisis a mystery.
Lena Headey, in her personal life, is an advocate for humans displaced by war and I think she brings that passion to her role. Her character’s not written as a savior, she appropriately takes the backseat, letting the immigrants’ experience be the focus. But Jeremiah’s role as Haile is the true standout. He conveys certain looks that are heartbreaking and he remains subtle with a reserved performance.
Most importantly, “The Flood” brings the global crisis back into memory. I remember a couple of years back social media users were sharing the viral photo of the drowned girl who died attempting to cross the Mediterranean and everyone was appalled. Yet today refugees are ignored or imprisoned in inhumane camps by oppressive governments. Immigrants are also an endless source of exploitation by corporations and a manipulative focal point for racist fear-mongers. So many forget that the victims are fleeing their homeland because of the US/UK intervention and endless wars that drone on and on. Regardless of political views (perhaps even status), it’s necessary to remember we’re a global community.
Available on VOD & Digital Friday, May 1st
