Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageMoving to Mars (2009)
Director: Mat Whitecross
Movie review
From Time Out London
With Mat Whitecross’s feature debut, ‘Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll’ in cinemas, the ICA has scheduled a week of screenings for his rigorous, sympathetic documentary on the experience of Burmese refugees in the UK. Made for Channel 4’s ‘True Stories’ strand, the film follows two families from the persecuted Karen tribe as they leave a Thai refugee camp for a new life in windswept Sheffield.Whitecross’s greatest strength is a steadfast refusal to make any ethical assumptions, or to use his story as an excuse for political grandstanding. For some of his subjects, this new life is a blessing, for others a curse, but it’s as much a matter of personality and adaptability as a failure of social services or a clash of cultures. ‘Moving to Mars’ succeeds because of its unsentimental humanity: the film steps back and allows us to make up our own minds about these troubled, likeable, struggling characters.
Author: Tom Huddleston
Time Out London Issue 2057: 21-27 January, 2010
User reviews of this film
-
- VA said...
- Posted on Feb 04 2010 00:10 Moving to Mars was simply brilliant. Tender and yet tough. Dashed hopes and new beginnings. The huge emotional impact of migration is captured in a beautifully shot film.
- Report as inappropriate
Cast & crew
Director: Mat Whitecross
Genre(s): Documentaries
Duration: 84 mins
UK Release: Jan 22 2010
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
The 10 worst date movies
Just in time for Valentine's Day, we present ten of the least romantic films ever made
Where to watch this year's Oscar-nominated films
Find out where to watch 2012's Oscar-nominated films in London cinemas
10 unlikely badboy biopics
Featuring Phil Collins, Jeremy Clarkson, Nick Clegg, David Starkey and a host of other unlikely subjects
Interview: Sean Durkin on 'Martha Marcy May Marlene'
The first-time director of the brilliant new thriller discusses religious cults and robot boxing
Has David Cronenberg turned tame?
Has director David Cronenberg veered too far from his radical and bloody roots with new film 'A Dangerous Method'?
Pop-up cinema for Valentine's Day
Side-step romantic clichés with some alternative Valentine’s viewing
What do you think?
Post your review now