Green Border, red flags

From Schindler’s List to 12 Years a Slave, some films based on atrocious events in human history prove difficult to watch, challenging viewers with realistic violence and disturbing subject matter. A more recent example is Green Border (2023), a powerful drama that captures the struggles of refugees trapped between Belarus and Poland in 2021. The story follows a Syrian family—Bashir (Jalal Altawil), his wife Amina (Dalia Naous), their children, and Bashir’s father (Mohamad Al Rashi)—as they attempt to reach Sweden, crossing paths with Leila (Behi Djanati Atai), an Afghan teacher also seeking asylum. Meanwhile, Julia (Maja Ostaszewska), a Polish psychologist turned activist, and conflicted border guard Jan (Tomasz Włosok) provide additional perspectives on the humanitarian crisis. Directed by Agnieszka Holland and filmed in stark black-and-white – which adds a sheen of newsy authenticity, shadowy weight, and thematic gravitas to the story and the characters – this work is notable for its gripping performances and unflinching critique of political exploitation, sparking significant discussion on human rights and remains a vital work in contemporary cinema.

To listen to a recording of our CineVerse group discussion of Green Border, conducted last week, click here.

Green Border is segmented into four different chapters. Part one focuses primarily on a Muslim family, represented by three different generations, seeking escape from Syria but being turned into political hot potatoes by countries they thought would be sympathetic to their plight. The second chapter focuses primarily on Jan, an expectant father who participates in the despicable treatment of the displaced foreigners but who resultantly suffers a crisis of conscience. Part three follows a colorful band of activists, including new convert Julia, who strategize to bring aid to these political victims. The brief epilogue covers how millions of Ukrainian refugees are granted asylum or temporary protection in Poland and across Europe. Chapters 2 and 3 are particularly important, as are the characters of Julia and Janek, who stand as surrogates for the audience: witnesses to the ruthless way these migrants are treated who, like viewers, may be motivated to get involved.

Set in 2021 to 2022, and released only a year later, Green Border has a political zeitgeist feeling of urgency and immediacy, bringing attention to a serious humanitarian crisis that has actually been going on for the past 10 years. The European migrant crisis began in 2015 with large numbers of refugees from conflict zones like Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, and later Africa, arriving in Eastern European countries such as Hungary, Poland, and Bulgaria. More recently, the crisis intensified with Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, displacing over 7 million Ukrainians, while the Belarus-EU migrant crisis in 2021 further exacerbated the region's challenges. American viewers may be less aware of this ongoing problem on the other side of the globe, but Green Border’s setting and troubling narrative also coincide with the ongoing debate in the U.S. over illegal immigrants and how they are being rounded up and deported today.

The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw described it as “a sombre, yet gripping movie in what feels like two separate genres: a movie about the eastern front in the second world war, or the first world war, or perhaps an entirely different, futurist film: a post-apocalyptic drama in which the forest is the site of some frantic survival-struggle experienced by people whose humanity has been almost entirely stripped from them, as if by some nuclear blast or germ warfare strike…Green Border is a tough watch: a punch to the solar plexus. But a vital bearing of cinematic witness to what is happening in Europe right now.”

At its core, the film thematically explores the heartless and inhumane playing of political pawns. Bashir and his multi-generational family, as well as all the other refugees we observe alongside them, are powerless pieces on a chessboard being played by Belarus and Poland. The Belarus-Poland border crisis is part of a broader geopolitical struggle involving Belarus, Russia, the EU, and NATO, with tensions escalating due to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Since 2021, Belarus has been accused of deliberately funneling migrants—mainly from the Middle East and Africa—toward the EU as retaliation for sanctions, a tactic seen as hybrid warfare aimed at destabilizing Europe while diverting attention from Russia’s war in Ukraine. With Putin backing Lukashenko, Poland has responded by militarizing its border and pushing back the refugees dropped onto its borders by Belarus.

Additionally, the movie examines the courage needed to commit to an ethical cause for the right reasons. There’s an exchange in Green Border where one of the activists criticizes passive liberals for only wanting to help refugees to soothe their sense of guilt. By depicting Julia’s transition from concerned observer to risk-taking activist and depicting Janek’s inner moral conflict at being at first a callous border soldier contributing to the cruelty but later a silent resister to the established order by not apprehending Bashir’s family-in-hiding, Holland is attempting to motivate viewers to think beyond good intentions and well wishes and become more proactive in this humanitarian crisis.

Viewers see evidence of the immense value inherent in even small gestures of care and kindness. Julia and her fellow activists bring food, clothing, medicine, comfort, and advice to the hapless migrants. While they are not able to legally shield them from the Polish border police, the supplies and treatment they provide give these sufferers hope, even temporarily, in a mostly hopeless situation.

That infusion of positivity is important. “Holland‘s bruisingly powerful new refugee drama ultimately comes from a place of optimism,” per Variety critic Jessica Kiang. “It is optimistic to expect and to nurture a reaction of potentially motivating outrage, when you portray the brutality of which human individuals, at the behest of human institutions, are capable. It is optimistic to believe that, faced with extraordinary cruelty, a viewer’s ordinary decency will be compelled to rise and rebel. Green Border…wraps its social critique in the razor wire of punchy, intelligent cinematic craft in order to elicit precisely such emotions. If we can feel the horror, perhaps there is hope.”

Green Border also reminds us that refugees are human beings, each with unique needs and personalities. Migrants and expatriates seeking asylum and sanctuary deserve dignity and have human rights that shouldn’t be violated, even if they are technically breaking the law. With so many countries in chaos and sociopolitical conflict growing, the immigration crisis is increasingly complex and warrants further rational dialogue, even if it ultimately means that that person isn’t legally allowed entry into their chosen country of migration.

Similar works

• El Norte (1983) – A poignant drama about two Guatemalan siblings fleeing civil war and attempting to build a new life in the United States.
• In This World (2002) – A documentary-style drama following two Afghan refugees on a perilous journey from Pakistan to the UK.
• Babel (2006) – A multi-narrative drama exploring global interconnectedness, including the plight of an undocumented immigrant.
• Welcome (2009) – A French film about an Iraqi-Kurdish teenager trying to cross the English Channel to reunite with his girlfriend.
• Mediterranea (2015) – A gripping film following two African migrants as they navigate the dangers of illegal immigration to Italy.
• The Other Side of Hope (2017) – A Finnish film by Aki Kaurismäki, blending humor and drama in the story of a Syrian refugee seeking asylum in Helsinki.
• Human Flow (2017) – Ai Weiwei’s documentary about the global refugee crisis, showcasing the struggles and resilience of displaced people worldwide.
• Quo Vadis, Aida? (2020) – A harrowing drama about the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, told through the perspective of a UN translator trying to save her family.
• Io Capitano (2023) – A powerful Italian film about two Senegalese teenagers who embark on a perilous journey to Europe, facing exploitation and danger along the way.

Other films by Agnieszka Holland

• Europa Europa
• Total Eclipse
• The Secret Garden
• In Darkness
• Charlatan
• Spoor
• Mr. Jones
• Angry Harvest