Eden Is West

The journey of a young man trying to reach Europe illegally. Elias is a migrant from an unnamed country. He jumps from a ship as it nears the coast and finds himself on the beach of a holiday resort. It is a nudist club: waiters, tourists, people drinking by the pool. Elias mixes into that world and hides there for a while. Then he sets out. His destination is Paris and he has one name to go on: an illusionist he saw on television. The film moves like a road story rather than a drama and its register keeps sliding towards comedy. Along the way Elias meets people who help him and people who use him; the narrative shows both with the same calm. Given that the director came from political cinema the choice is notable: there is no slogan here, no explanation, not even a backstory for the character. Only the walking. Riccardo Scamarcio plays Elias. Costa-Gavras directed. A different approach for anyone who likes migration stories and road films. For a viewer expecting a hard political film, the register is kept light and some sections play like a fable.