When a Syrian refugee family is invited to a Christian family's house for Christmas dinner, they are caught between opposing viewpoints for and against their presence -- until an unexpected event suddenly occurs.
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Cast
| Credited cast: | |||
| Nour Bitar | ... | Amira (as Nour M. Bitar) | |
 |
Leya Daoud | ... | Fatima |
| Tanner Gould | ... | Derek | |
| Susan Kohler | ... | Ingrid | |
|
|
Khaled Al Maleh | ... | Hamza |
| Elizabeth Southard | ... | Anne | |
| Maxou Susini | ... | Fathi | |
| Max Thayer | ... | Bill | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
When a Syrian refugee family is invited to a Christian family's house for Christmas dinner, they are caught between opposing viewpoints for and against their presence -- until an unexpected event suddenly occurs.
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Country:
USARelease Date:
10 May 2017 (USA) See more »Edit
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Budget:
$13,500 (estimated)Company Credits
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I saw Vivian Hua's debut short at the Seventh Art Stand, a film festival intended to raise awareness about Islamophobia, and it genuinely stood out. Social-issue films sometimes over-emphasize their message at the expense of engaging viewers emotionally and cinematically. Searching Skies works because it finds a core of universality in its subject matter, and Hua delivers the film with considerable confidence and craftsmanship.
It's Christmas time, and a well-intended couple hosts a family of Syrian immigrants for a holiday dinner. Friction occurs when the prejudices of the couple's college-age nephew Derek begin surging to the surface. Soon things come to a head with Derek and his uncle, until an unexpected incident opens the young man's eyes.
Some nuance is sacrificed to keep things concise (this is a nine-minute short film, after all), but Hua's cast really hits all the right notes, especially Tanner Gould as Derek. His character's xenophobia is frustrating, but Gould does a great job of making him a human being. Kudos also to Hua's script, which gives voice to Derek's (and by extent a fair share of the audience's) fears and concerns without turning him into a monster. And no spoilers here, but the film's final denouement really packs an emotional punch.