Stars: Nargis Jibril, Asha Gibril
Director: Helene Klodawsky
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| Nargis Jibril and her two real-life daughters – all first-time actors – demonstrate the troubles new Canadians often find in Family Motel. |
Helene Klodawsky has helmed a poignant eye-opener about how tough life can be for new Canadians: The film’s acts of kindness are few and far-between (and often come from their fellow Somalis), and the bureaucracy they turn to for help fails them miserably.
The real-life mother-daughter bond also newsinsidadds a natural kind of chemistry between the trio of cast members; it’s a warmth that makes you forget that the Jibrils are first-timers to acting. The film’s heavy-handed style can often compromise its power to compel, however. The motel is crawling with degenerates, the older child gets involved with a violent teen, both kids turn on their mother, who begins to unravel under the pressure of constant work and worry — there’s no bottom in the ghetto. Get it yet?
You almost expect a scene where a daughter says, “How could it get any worse?” as she becomes enveloped in the shadow of the anvil dropping from the sky.
That said, the movie rediscovers this nation from an immigrant’s perspective well: They trade in a set of old-world problems for new Canadian ones, and that while it still might be a step up from a war-ravaged country, Canada isn’t necessarily their end of the rainbow.