Midnight Traveler (2019) | agoodmovietowatch
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Midnight Traveler 2019

Cellphone-filmed story of two filmmakers and their daughters who become refugees

Our Take (by Bilal Zouheir)

Hassan Fazili and Nargis Fazili are two filmmakers who, faced with death threats, escape their home in Afghanistan and start a journey to Europe that millions of others have taken over the past few years. But unlike most others, the Fazilis filmed everything on their way.

The result is not only a portrayal of the dangers they go through but it’s also about less obvious and possibly more common aspects of the refugee experience. It’s about the wait in refugee centers (that can last many years), the anticipation and also what it means to do all of this with children. Because watch out for the little Fazilis, who travel with their parents, for they will steal your heart.

Notable Critics

"Discussing their circumstances incisively, they offer trenchant views of religious and popular culture-and the role and the power of the cinema itself."

— Richard Brody

"It is a suspenseful adventure story, a psychological profile of a family on the run and, most poignantly, an intimate portrait of two young children adopting adult behaviours as a matter of survival."

— Sophie Monks Kaufman

Synopsis

In 2015, the Taliban put a price on the head of Hassan, a filmmaker, who was forced to flee Afghanistan with his wife and two young daughters. Using their camera phones, the fugitives show first-hand the many dangers refugees face when seeking asylum in a safe place.

Awards

Berlin

2 nominations

Nominated: Panorama Audience Award (Documentary Film)Nominated: Special Mention: Ecumenical Jury Prize (Panorama)

Sundance

1 win

Won: Special Jury Award for No Borders (World Cinema Documentary Competition)

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About the author

Bilal Zouheir

Bilal Zouheir

Bilal Zouheir is the founder of A Good Movie to Watch. He is US-based and a member of the Nevada Film Critics Society. He grew up in Morocco, where he learned English from watching movies. Bilal's work with A Good Movie to Watch is focused on offering an alternative to streaming algorithms, which are often used as commercial tools by streaming services.