Leave To Remain is one of the British films screening at London Film Festival this year and frankly, it’s not a great advert for British cinema. Following three teenagers seeking asylum in Britain, it shows their struggle to learn to live in this country whilst being up against language barriers and politics. The film has been made to highlight the plight of teenagers such as these three characters, and also shows the contrasting lives lead by them and the teenagers who have grown up in the UK. First up there’s Omar (Naoufal Ousellam), a refugee from we’re not sure where because his story changes each time he tells it. Then there’s Abdul (Zarrien Masieh) who barely speaks any English and is the newest addition to the group and finally there’s Zizidi (Yasmin Mwanza), a girl from Guinea who has suffered sexual abuse. All three are taught by a very irritating Toby Jones.
Tonally, Leave To Remain is a state. It jumps between joy, heartbreak and anger without establishing what we’re supposed to feel for the characters first. Omar is the most confusing as his story always changes and Toby Jones even lies for him at one point. He’s a suspicious character with a secret who will use anything to get his indefinite leave visa, even if that means threatening Abdul who could stop his application. When his story comes to an end, you’re left wondering how you should feel about it, considering Zizidi’s story which runs alongside Omar’s. The film switches very quickly between distress, sadness and joy. Towards the end there’s a pretty horrible scene which is almost immediately followed by one involving the characters dancing in snow. It’s a drastic change in tone and one that doesn’t work. Instead it leaves you confused about the characters and the film as a whole.
The most interesting aspect of Leave To Remain is the scenes in the Home Office showing interviews with the three characters. The filmmakers were allowed access to other interviews before filming these scenes which adds a shock element to them. Looking at how the characters are treated by the Home Office is quite horrible. The characters aren’t trusted, are asked to go into detail about their sufferings and are spoken about as if they’re not sat in the same room. If the film had focussed on this aspect then it would’ve been much improved. The rest of it, whilst interesting, is so all over the place it becomes very hard to have any favourable thoughts towards it.
Despite the film being based on the experiences of actual teenagers, it just doesn’t cut it. It’s a shame because the basic stories are very compelling but they get lost in the muddle the film finds itself in. Either it needs to be a little longer to allow the stories and characters to develop, or it needs a different approach. Whilst it does highlight the issues a lot of us don’t know much about (teenagers seeking asylum in the UK), it doesn’t do them justice, and for that the film is a failure.
Director: Bruce Goodison
Writers: Charlotte Colbert, Bruce Goodison
Stars: Toby Jones, Simon Meacock, Jason Newell
Country: UK
Film Rating: 
