“Wherever you go, you must build a home”

Isle of Us (Wadha, 2020) is a beautiful exploration of how the “ghost of war” follows you, no matter where you go and how an isolated, yet welcoming, community can soon feel like home. 

After being relocated from Syria by the UN to a remote Scottish village, dubbed by locals as ‘Seagull Island’, this wonderful short film documents the story of Mounzer, who re-built his life and set up a barber shop. Laura Wadha accompanies Mounzer through different tasks, from picking his daughter up from school and spending the day working to sitting on a cliff top, reminiscing about his life in Syria, allowing the audience to get know him in such an intimate way. Despite the lack of clear narrative, it is not needed as the film engages the audience straight away with the differing locals coming into the barber shop, illustrating their love for Mounzer and the community spirit. 

The cinematography is superb - from the shots of the sea, to the included home footage of Mounzer’s life in Syria, each scene is well throughout as they create a heart-warming emotion within the audience, connecting them to Mounzer.

EssentiallyIsle of Usshows that no matter where you go, kindness and friendship will make you feel at home. As Mounzer’s father explained, “to build a home means to find a friend”. 

Written by Gabriella Ingamells