

Bilal is 17 years old, a Kurdish boy from Iraq. He sets off on an adventure-filled journey across Europe. He wants to get to England to see his love who lives there. Bilal finally reaches Calais, but how do you cover 32 kilometers of the English Channel when you can't swim? The boy soon discovers that his trip won't be as easy as he imagined... The community of struggling illegal aliens in Calais
Acting
Vincent Lindon's crumpled humanity — every sigh is a whole backstory
Direction
Lioret lets silence do the screaming; devastating restraint

Director
Philippe Lioret
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shot in the real Calais 'Jungle' before its 2016 demolition; many extras were actual refugees living there.
Lioret refused to show England once — the film's visual grammar traps viewers in the same limbo as Bilal.