Why we picked it – A first feature by a young British director – a story of betrayal and deceit that explores identity and connections across physical, cultural and personal barriers.

Synopsis – Fatima Hussain (formerly Mary) is a British Muslim convert. Her husband, a cross channel ferry captain, dies suddenly. As she empties his wallet in their Dover home, she finds a French woman’s identity card. She sets off across the Channel to Calais and discovers that he had another family and another secular life. Nothing is straightforward however; everyone is hiding something.

The film – Joanna Scanlan is a revelation as Fatima. Best known for character roles and comedy, here she sensitively portrays a woman struggling to cope with loss and uncertainty. The dialogue is spare, but Scanlan’s silent expressiveness carries the story. The film was made when the cross-Channel refugee crisis was escalating and Brexit being implemented. Although never explicit, this context is the quiet, but inescapable, political background.

Writer/Director: Aleem Khan, Cinematography: Alexander Dynan, UK 2020 89 mins (12A)

Links imdb entry  Guardian review Irish Times review Evening Standard review Sight and Sound – interview with Aleem Khan

Trivia – Aleem Khan’s mother is a British Muslim convert. She helped Joanna Scanlan prepare including teaching her to prepare the saag paneer and roti that she cooks in the film.