Shadows

Bluesky

Rand Beiruty transports us into the life of Ahlam, a survivor of child marriage, as she recounts her flight from Iraq, which thanks to animation means not just reproducing her physical steps but putting us into her headspace. It’s a technique that has been increasingly employed recently, most notably in animated feature Flee, and it has the advantage of not only adding an additional psychological dimension to the testimony but also ensuring the anonymity of the speaker is protected.

As Ahlam talks about the airport, Beiruty – who met the youngster when she was making longer refugee documentary Tell Them About Us – fills in the emotional spaces. The girl we see is accompanied by a large blue deer, which reflects her fears in this place crammed with people. The anxious impact of the airport is also brought home to us by the crowded nature of the animation, its expressionist rendering emphasising the strangeness of this environment.

Ahlam recalls being married at just 13 to an unstable and violent husband before becoming pregnant not long. As she does, things in the departure hall drop in and out of focus, from the customers animalistically setting about their meals in the foodhall to the glowing glory of the air stewards in whose footsteps the youngster dreams of following.

Thoughts about her baby also bleed into the situation, so that Ahlam’s mental as well as physical vulnerability is emphasised. The first-person testimony would, even on its own, be powerful but Beiruty’s approach ensures it has an even greater impact.

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