Import
2016 · 16m · Netherlands
Directed by Ena Sendijarević
Tones: absurdist, darkly comic, melancholic
In 1994, a young Bosnian refugee family settles in a small Dutch village after receiving its residence permit. As the family tries to make this new world its home, a string of absurd, disconnected situations exposes the discomfort, suspicion and small acts of solidarity that come with integration.
Picked by Margot
The scouts
Most refugee narratives genuflect toward dignity and uplift — Sendijarević's move to lace integration with absurdist awkwardness and petty suspicion is refreshingly uncomfortable, refusing the expected emotional payoff.
The film's formal precision — its editing rhythm between intimate family moments and the rhythmic, almost ritualistic absurdities of small-town Dutch life — places it squarely in the lineage of Haneke and Koreeda, where social friction becomes visible through structural constraint rather than exposition.
The singular choice here is tonal: holding the camera steady on mundane interactions that could read as either comedic or devastating, letting the viewer's discomfort become the primary instrument, which takes genuine restraint on a modest budget.
Reviews
Si la méthode est peu banale, elle n'en est pas moins maîtrisée et émouvante. En effet, le film capte ce qui fait, à partir de chaque visage et surtout dans l'articulation des faces grimaçantes, liens et ruptures.