The Crossing

Florence Miailhe's 2021 animation was made by painting in oil on glass frame by frame; each frame is painted, photographed and then wiped away, which means no original of the film exists. Forced to flee a town sunk in darkness, two children, Kyona and Adriel, are separated from their parents and set out alone on the path of exile. The journey carries them from childhood into adolescence. The film names no country and specifies no period; the story looks at once at the pogroms of the twentieth century and at the migration routes of today. Miailhe's own family had fled Eastern Europe. The painting technique keeps faces and places permanently fluid; nothing is fixed, and that carries the experience of displacement visually. Who it's for: viewers interested in handmade animation and stories of migration. Who it's not for: families looking for animation suitable for children, or anyone avoiding content about violence, separation and the abuse of children.