Juxtaposing the story of a young asylum seeker with that of a former drug addict, “The Lion at My Back” highlights the way in which perceived hierarchies of suffering feel somewhat irrelevant on an individual level. Or, rather, that they should: Everyone has more to gain in looking for similarities than in emphasizing difference. Presented in the Crystal Globe competition at Karlovy Vary, the second feature from Cypriot director Tonia Mishiali is at its best when it stops short of waxing lyrical about the beauty of connection in the face of adversity: These sentimental flourishes undermine the raw and visceral quality of the bond between the film’s two very different characters. Before it indulges this streak with an unnecessarily melodramatic final act, ‘The Lion at My Back’ has the makings of a more original and grounded film about healing through friendship.
The film opens on a celebration. Inside a cosy refugee center, staff and migrants together are celebrating the 18th birthday of Mariama (Sokhna Diallo), a young refugee of African descent with a French accent and a relaxed attitude that seems surprising for somebody in her situation. Even more so when her entering adulthood means that she can no longer reside at the refuge: She is thrown out overnight and given no concrete help about how to start living on her own. Mishiali’s filmmaking does not overemphasize the brutality of this situation. Here and throughout the film, the style is more observational, staying close to its two protagonists to capture the very different ways in which they react to events and fit into their surroundings.
