Leave To Remain, film review: Downbeat subject matter lifted by humour and lyricism

(15) Bruce Goodison, 89 mins Starring: Toby Jones, Noof Ousellam, Yasmin Mwanza

Geoffrey Macnab
Thursday 19 June 2014 19:13 EDT
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Toby Jones (right) plays the English teacher who looks after the kids
Toby Jones (right) plays the English teacher who looks after the kids

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Thousands of teenage migrants arrive alone in the UK every year, Bruce Goodison's film tells us. Only one in 10 are granted refugee status.

The film explores the plight of a group of unaccompanied teen asylum seekers. Their chances of convincing often openly hostile authorities that their claims are genuine hinge on their ability to tell the right story.

There's a very moving performance from Masieh Zarrien as a taciturn Afghan boy who knows dark secrets about a fellow asylum seeker.

Toby Jones plays the English teacher who looks after the kids and stands up for them.

The subject matter is downbeat but Goodison, helped by a likeable young cast, brings moments of humour and lyricism to the storytelling.

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