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Movies about migration and refugees to watch online

Whether due to poverty, wars, climate events, or other reasons, the world is experiencing a wave of mass migrations, resulting in a refugee crisis in several countries. These are complex issues with various historical, economic, political, racial, and even religious nuances, often surrounded by multiple prejudices and resistant to easy answers. Therefore, at Filmelier, we have created this small selection of movies about migration and refugees to watch online that, while not providing all the answers, we hope will serve as a solid starting point for learning more.

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The Old Oak

The Old Oak

7.1/10
1h52min
NR
2024
Drama
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It's worth starting with Ken Loach, a filmmaker with a humanistic perspective who manages to represent the impacts of major social issues on the everyday lives of ordinary individuals. The Old Oak is set in a decaying mining town in England, whose precarious economic situation makes it a destination for several Palestinian refugees. Tensions rise among the locals, who resent the presence of immigrants in what they called their home. However, the unexpected friendship between the kind bartender and a young refugee who speaks English offers hope for solidarity and community.

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Human Flow

Human Flow

7.2/10
2h20min
PG-13
2017
Documentary
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Apple TV (iTunes)

On the other hand, we have the documentary Human Flow by Ai Weiwei, which provides a broader perspective on the migrant and refugee crisis. It not only presents one of the largest human displacements since World War II but also discusses its implications and the needs – as a society and as human beings – to confront it.

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Fire at Sea

Fire at Sea

6.7/10
1h53min
UR
2016
Documentary
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Fuocoammare: Fire at Sea takes a much more specific approach to the migration crisis in Europe. The documentary is set on the coast of Sicily and contrasts the tranquil life in the Italian village with the daily turbulence at sea, where rafts with refugees constantly appear.

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Flee

Flee

7.9/10
1h29min
PG-13
2022
Documentary
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Flee is a documentary that, for reasons of anonymity but also artistic ones, resorts to animation to tell the story of "Amin," an Afghan refugee in Denmark who must come to terms with a traumatic past after being forced to leave his home due to war when he was a child. Given the expressive possibilities of animation, the film manages to represent not just the story from an objective point of view but also the entire subjectivity of emotions.

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The Golden Dream

The Golden Dream

--/10
1h48min
G
2013
Drama
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Apple TV (iTunes)
Subscription:
Amazon Prime Video

The Golden Dream focuses on the situation in Latin America, where precariousness has led millions of people – many of them unaccompanied children and young adults – to migrate and aspire to reach the United States via "La Bestia," a train that crosses Mexico from south to north. The film, shot on the actual route taken by migrants, follows a group of young people who decide to embark on the journey, unaware of the dangers they will face.

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