The Flood by Helen Kingston - 9.6 out of 10

The Flood by Helen Kingston
9.6 out of 10



The Flood is a fabulous, emotional, presumably independent motion picture that should have a bigger box office than The Avengers, seeing as it deals with one of the most important themes of our time, emigration, and considering the other, more intractable problem, Climate Change, more and more millions will be forced to move by rising sea levels and other catastrophes.

This film is carried by its simple story and the outstanding Lena Headey as emigration officer Wendy and the incredible Ivanno Jeremiah, in the role of Haile, a refugee from Eritrea, in particular.
Ivanno Jeremiah is talented, charming, serene, civilized, restrained, yet extremely forceful in a memorable, rare performance.

Alas, few will see this feature, but those who will have the chance to attach such a kind, humane, gentle, generous, brave, exceptional character with the idea of the often rejected immigrant.
Wendy is the officer who has to interview the applicant, then analyze the case and eventually suggest that he is deported or his situation necessitates further attention, perhaps he qualifies for asylum, if I have this right.

Haile has a very steep climb out of the hole where he seems to be, for he had attacked a policeman, when he was apprehended, taken out of a Larry which had brought him and other illegals to Britain.
He needs to tell his story and he explains that he had worked in the army, as everyone else had to and had to deal with a very difficult circumstance, when he was ordered to execute a civilian caught while trying to defect from tyranny.

Our hero disobeys the order, allows the prisoner to live, shooting in the air, to claim he has killed him, but he would be caught later, placed in chains, tortured and when he escapes, finds the man he had saved temporarily killed and his corpse abandoned.
There is no alternative here and Haile has to escape from his country, where he would be killed, not before being again made to suffer excruciatingly, although Wendy and especially her superior, Philip, treat the narrative with extreme skepticism.

When the political refugee says that his mother's name is Wendy, Philip is sarcastic, unmoved and says:

'That's a new one...I haven't heard that one before!'

On the other hand, Wendy, who is going through a trauma of her own, albeit we could venture to say that her adversity is nothing when compared with that encountered by Haile, the friend who would die, Nasrat, his wife Reema, changes gradually her perspective.
Just like so many millions of refugees, Haile has to cope with a multitude of problems, from the sinking boat, to life in the 'Jungle' near Calais.

Finally,he is ready to sacrifice his own future, the chances he has, in order to offer pregnant, just widowed Reema a shot at reaching The Promised Land of England.

A sad, fantastic and wonderful story, educational and  inspirational, it should be seen by more people than The Avengers...I repeat that.