On The Bride’s Side: Refugee Crisis Facing Europe

On the Bride’s Side Name Affiliation On the Bride’s Side Gabriele Del Grande, Antonio Augugliaro, and Khaled Soliman Al Nassiry document the proactive measure that should be taken by other Europeans in tackling the refugee crisis facing the region in the film, On the Bride’s Side (Mancuso, 2017). In an area that is marred with indecisiveness, division, and bureaucracies in dealing or attending to the plight of the refugees, the three friends take it upon themselves to make a difference by putting their freedoms on the line. In a region with strict immigration laws that make it difficult for refugees to gain asylum in most European countries, the three individuals risk it all to make sure five Palestinians and Syrians make it to Sweden from Milan in Italy. On the Bride’s Side, highlights the inept ability of human beings to relate to one another above and against all the social, political, and economic constructions that often define individuals within the society. The three Italians rally their friends who come from different countries of origin and uniting with the refugees, foster a plan which eventually achieves their goal. The film analyses various issues emerging from the refugee crisis facing Europe from the perspective of both the refugees and Europeans themselves. Civil wars in various parts of the Middle East have created one of the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. The Syrian war has left hundreds of thousands dead with millions more injured and displaced from their homes (Serrano, 2017). A country like Yemen had to face an outbreak of cholera on top of the civil war that is tearing the impoverished country apart. Political instability and intolerance between Israel and the Palestinians adds to the list of reasons or cause for the great rift that currently exists in the European region. The uncertainty created by the civil unrest witnessed in the countries highlighted and the region at large is a cause for the massive influx of refugees into the European region as asylum seekers. The untold sufferings of individuals from these countries drive their unwavering commitment to survive harsh or even dangerous conditions have a second chance in achieving their dreams. The five Palestinian and Syrian refugees in this film are no different from any other people as they all have different ambitions and dreams in life. Manar who is the youngest of the five, for instance, is a rapper whose flashbacks depict the hardships faced by children from the war-torn regions in the Middle East (Mancuso, 2017). Another colleague of his is an English literature student and thus representing a group of individuals diverse in their ambitions but united by their unfortunate status, asylum seekers or refugees for that matter. The status shared among the five becomes their source of identity in which they find solace and purpose as all endeavor to realize a common goal of reaching a more accommodating Sweden. Gabriele and friends also share in the common goal of the refugees under their watch and promise of safe delivery to Stockholm. The three alongside with the friends they mobilize have in one way or the other experienced what the refugees undergo when their countries are at war. All the members of the group associate themselves with the plight of the refugees and thus forging an identity of defiance under which they resolve to follow their mission to the end (Serrano, 2017). A sense of responsibility towards the refugee forces or instead compels the group to unite under one goal irrespective of the harsh repercussions facing them if the border authority would make them out. Harboring illegal migrants or aiding them to cross-border attracts a sentence of 15 years in prison for the Italians if caught. The national identity of the three individuals and the friends mobilized for the journey played a significant role in crossing the border. However, it is the new identity of defiance that separates them from their fellow nationals who chose not to act, help, or even show the slightest of indifference to the plight of the needy refugees. Another aspect that the documentary reveals to the audience is the ethnic recognition or ethnicity among the group. Abdallah, one of the five refugees, overhears Gabriele and Khaled speaking Arabic at a train station in Lampedusa and decides to ask them for help (Mancuso, 2017). He dares to ask the two gentlemen for assistance on how to get a train to Sweden that provokes the two to come up with the wedding plan as a front for trafficking the refugees to Stockholm. The fact that he overheard people speaking his language or mother tongue is what persuaded him to seek help from them. Furthermore, the documentary is filmed in Arabic as evidenced by all the conversations which are conducted in the same l...