Lost in the Middle (2017)

Directed by: Senne Dehandschieter | 17 minutes | short film, drama | Actors: Soufiane Chilah, Dahlia Pessemiers, Line Pillet, Matthieu Sys, Koen van Impe

‘2011, ISIS is yet to be invented.’ Two Flemish boys travel to Syria. One as a photojournalist and the other as a fighter against Assad. ​The boys meet in a nightmare where worlds flow into each other.​
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You are immediately dropped in the middle of the movie. A boy runs for his life through the small streets of Syria. He is chased by three guys with Kalashnikovs. He hides behind a car and clings to his camera, trembling. You feel the terror and the tone is immediately set. A moment later he runs away, opens the doors of a building and suddenly finds himself in the middle of his living room in Belgium, where his girlfriend is doing the dishes. Two worlds intertwine.​
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‘Lost in the Middle’ is visually very strong and skilfully put together. The setting in which the boy feels at home again looks like it was built in the middle of the ruins of Syria. The walls crumble in front of you and it – in a positive way – resembles a play.​ ‘Lost in the Middle’ is very explicit in several ways, but in this way also literally shows the contrast between the war and see your safe haven.​
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The insane timing is essential and amplifies the palpable fear and adrenaline. It’s a kind of cat-and-mouse game in which two guys are chasing each other, but in the end you don’t know who is trying to catch who. They may even be chasing themselves.​ They are getting more and more lost between two worlds.​
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The build up to the end is very oppressive. The music amplifies the nightmare. There is running, yelling, and you feel fear but also anger. They run past each other through a maze, as if in a nightmare. They can never escape again. There’s a little glimmer of hope, but then it’s done. ‘Lost in the Middle’ leaves you with goosebumps.​