This story of two Palestinian cousins trapped in a purgatory-esque side of Athens is nothing short of incredible. The only issue with this film is that I wish it wasn’t so heavily influenced by MIDNIGHT COWBOY. Respectfully, there’s so much stuff in this movie that is directly borrowed from that movie that it feels like a remix of a really, really, old song.
Mahmood Bakri and Aram Sabbah give very complex, Oscar-level performances and director Mahdi Fleifel is an incredible talent to say the very least. This is almost a Top 10 of the Year Film for me, a shoo-in for a Best International Film Oscar nom, and one of the very best movies at AFI Fest.
At the time of writing, TO A LAND UNKNOWN does not have a set release date.
Editor’s Note: This review is part of a collection of reviews by Eli Brumfield after attending the 2024 AFI Fest in Los Angeles. Check out the rest of his reviews from the film festival here: AFI FEST 2024 (A RUNDOWN…)
