Excellent acting from first-time and veteran Hungarian and Syrian actors. The cinematography and effects were top notch. The script is where the weaknesses start to take over, but miraculously it never strains believability too much.
MILD Spoilers ahead:
As far as the alleged political messages - there ARE NONE. There is no "demonization" of the countries that take in or refuse refugees. There is simply a realistic depiction of how refugees are dealt with in Hungary. If showing reality for what it is (minus a flying kid) is "left wing agitprop" then you can safely discount what any reviewer - professional or hobbyist - has to say. Seriously, this is not a "political" movie at all. A young Syrian refugee and his family encounter some harsher than usual border enforcers and he then attempts to gain entry to the EU through whatever means he is presented with.
Again, there are gaps in the plot/story but nothing too bad. The city of Budapest is featured prominently and other than the supernatural elements at work, the movie is MOSTLY believable. Give it a try and bring an open mind. You will not be preached to, contrary to some reviews by people who have obviously not watched it, and to whom being an IMDB activist is more important than reviewing titles.
MILD Spoilers ahead:
As far as the alleged political messages - there ARE NONE. There is no "demonization" of the countries that take in or refuse refugees. There is simply a realistic depiction of how refugees are dealt with in Hungary. If showing reality for what it is (minus a flying kid) is "left wing agitprop" then you can safely discount what any reviewer - professional or hobbyist - has to say. Seriously, this is not a "political" movie at all. A young Syrian refugee and his family encounter some harsher than usual border enforcers and he then attempts to gain entry to the EU through whatever means he is presented with.
Again, there are gaps in the plot/story but nothing too bad. The city of Budapest is featured prominently and other than the supernatural elements at work, the movie is MOSTLY believable. Give it a try and bring an open mind. You will not be preached to, contrary to some reviews by people who have obviously not watched it, and to whom being an IMDB activist is more important than reviewing titles.