Tom Lynch

Michael Winterbottom ("Jude," "Wonderland," "24 Hour Party People") directs this impressive pseudo-documentary seemingly without much intervention; as the journey unfolds, it seems that he lets his actors make the movie, while he shoots from a guarded distance. Filmed mostly in Pakistan, he tells the story of brothers Jamal and Enayat, Peshawar refugees determined to get to London with the help of various traffickers along the way. Winterbottom's actors play themselves; Jamal Udin Torabi (Jamal) and Enayatullah (Enayat) are really brothers, and the family members represented are also true to life. Shot on digital video, using only available light, the film is shaped as if it were documentary, reaching beyond the emotional borders that are only hinted at in most fictional cinema. (Co-writer Tony Grisoni was a writer on "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.") Winterbottom's exploration of his characters' drive and vulnerability is intricate, and rightly passionate. As Jamal and Enayat move through each bordering country, the journey seems to only expand. As their desperation mounts, "In This World" brings practicality to the impractical: it forces the viewer to believe the unreasonable. The dedication it takes for young men to leave their homeland to better their chance of survival takes strength beyond comprehension, especially considering that the road to a new life may be poison for the current one. Sad and exhausting, this film may be the first of its kind; it doesn't directly attack the opposition, it doesn't point fingers and assign blame. It only shows what we do not see, what we may not believe is really happening. 88m.

"In This World" opens Friday as the first entry of the Sundance Film Series.

(2003-09-17)

Also by Tom Lynch

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Tip of the Week
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Lights, Camera, Hurry
(2003-03-19)

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