the refugee crisis put into a digestible thriller/drama for mass audiences. the type of film people walk out of, feeling terrible yet their conscience is a little bit more relieved. hey, at least you're on the right side of history, huh?i see the need for a film like that, affect wise, somehow - morally questionable as his paddling in the swimming pool of hypocrisy might be. the only decision to critique on a larger scale though is passing over the political sphere, a willing ignoring of the decision makers, the ones having the biggest amount of blood on their hands. instead the piece concentrates on the tale of the evil smuggler (that - of course we get granted that much ambivalence - has a huge heart for his adopted refugee boy), the story that is perpetrated by governments to deflect from their own guilt, from the fact that their policies are significant for the amount of deaths in the open sea. guess it would be hard to get a proper funding for a film that zeros in on authorities and the powerful though, huh?!
Directed by Brandt Andersen
I Was a Stranger
قضية الغرباء
An ensemble, bleak drama.
Μια Σύρια γιατρός και η κόρη της φεύγουν από το Χαλέπι, πυροδοτώντας μια αλυσίδα γεγονότων που συνδέει πέντε αγνώστους. Ένας λαθρέμπορος, ένας στρατιώτης, ένας ποιητής και ένας αρχηγός της ακτοφυλακής συγκρούονται σε μια κρίση που δοκιμάζει το θάρρος, τις επιλογές τους και την ανθρωπιά τους.
Where to watch
11Thursday, 18 June
/ TodayFriday, 19 June
/ TomorrowSaturday, 20 June
Sunday, 21 June
Monday, 22 June
Tuesday, 23 June
Wednesday, 24 June
Showing Athens. Switch city above to see screenings elsewhere.
Cast & crew
6What people say
pros: - produced by philistine films, an independent studio based in palestine and jordan - THE atticus ross of NIN on the soundtrack - critique of xenophobia - diverse cast and strong actingcons:- distributed by weird christian company that is ironically named angel studios, i was not aware of this when i bought my ticket unfortunately - seeks emotional resonance through telling marginalized stories without any acknowledgement of the political conditions that have marginalized those stories in the first place- writer and director is a white dude with dreads??? this was a jumpscare at the end of the movie
Y’all really worried about who’s telling the story rather than the story that is being told. It’s gripping, moving and intense with layered characters who all give incredible performances.
What is I Was a Stranger about?+
The film follows a Syrian doctor and her daughter as they flee their war-torn homeland, with their journey intersecting with four other strangers in a crisis that challenges their moral boundaries.
Who directed I Was a Stranger?+
It was directed by Brandt Andersen in 2026.
Is I Was a Stranger inspired by true events?+
While the narrative is fictional, the film draws heavily from countless true accounts of the Syrian refugee crisis to depict the humanitarian experience.













