I Was a Stranger Delivers a Divisive Refugee Drama for the West

Some movies are crafted with a clear agenda, prioritizing a message over pure entertainment, and Brandt Andersen’s I Was a Stranger fits that mold. This refugee-centered thriller aims to shed light on the Syrian crisis, but its approach is bound to split viewers. While some will find it eye-opening, others may see it as heavy-handed or even manipulative.

Plot Overview: A Night of Colliding Lives

The story brings together a diverse cast of characters—a doctor, a poet, a soldier, a smuggler, and a Hellenic Coast Guard captain—whose paths cross during a single, life-altering night. Andersen’s screenplay attempts to capture the complexity of the refugee experience by weaving together multiple perspectives. However, this broad scope sometimes leaves the narrative feeling scattered and lacking focus.

The film ’s original title, “The Stranger’s Case,” references a Shakespearean line about the cruelty people inflict on one another. Andersen’s intent is clear: he wants to remind us of our shared humanity. Yet, in his effort to drive the point home, he occasionally falls into the trap of oversimplifying the very people he seeks to humanize.

Sensationalism and Structure: A Double-Edged Sword

One of the film’s biggest challenges is its tendency toward sensationalism. By packaging the refugee crisis into a suspenseful, multiplex-friendly format, the movie sometimes feels more like a collection of dramatic highlights than a nuanced exploration. The tagline boasts that it’s based on “14 million true stories,” but the narrative often cherry-picks the most intense moments, stringing them together for maximum impact.

The nonlinear, Rashomon-inspired structure is meant to build suspense, but it can come off as a gimmick. Each segment ends on a dramatic cliffhanger, which, instead of deepening the story, amplifies the melodrama. Andersen’s good intentions are evident, but the film risks turning a deeply human crisis into a spectacle for mass consumption.

Perspective and Representation: Walking a Fine Line

Much of the criticism directed at I Was a Stranger centers on its creator. As a white filmmaker, Andersen faces scrutiny for telling a story rooted in experiences far from his own. To his credit, the film avoids the self-congratulatory tone that plagues many so-called humanitarian projects. Andersen demonstrates a genuine concern for the crisis and a basic grasp of its underlying causes.

Still, the movie’s Western lens is unmistakable. Some antagonists are drawn with such broad strokes that they verge on stereotype, and the African smuggler, though brought to life by a standout performance from Omar Sy, is portrayed in a way that feels oddly exoticized. The film’s conclusion, featuring a white savior figure, is perhaps its most glaring misstep.

Ambition and Audience: Who Is This For?

Despite its flaws, there’s enough substance to keep the film engaging. The segments focusing on Yasmine Al Massri’s character—a refugee doctor—and her daughter are especially compelling. If the story had centered solely on them, it might have been more powerful. Instead, Andersen tries to capture the vastness of the crisis, a task too big for a 100-minute runtime.

Unlike many faith-based films, I Was a Stranger doesn’t lean on religious themes. This may actually work in its favor, as it’s likely to resonate most with Western, possibly conservative, audiences who may not have confronted these issues before. Judged on those terms, the film succeeds in sparking conversation, even if it doesn’t always hit the mark.