Displaced refugees long for safety, but must be wary. This is represented by Raha Amirfazli and Alireza Ghasemi’s evocative picture In the Land of Brothers. The film is divided into three chapters, each starring a member of an Afghan extended family starting anew in Iran. The film shook the hearts of JAFF’s audience for those introduced to the internal turmoils that Afghan refugees face in Iran.
Formative and important, the film masterfully shines a light on impossible questions: what happens when an Afghan refugee passes away in another country? What would it take to be a citizen, to have a roof over your head? Told through twenty years of journey, this film ascertains that it is no easy feat to feel at home. “It’s here the filmmakers leave you, wondering whether Iran will ever truly embrace these people as brothers and, in the end, if it was even worth the price they paid,” as Marya E. Gates says.
