Illegal (2010 film)
Encyclopedia
Illegal is a 2010 Belgian drama film
directed by Olivier Masset-Depasse. The film was selected as the Belgian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film
at the 83rd Academy Awards
, but it did not make the final shortlist.
The film is critical of practices of Belgian immigration officers.
n aliens living in Belgium
. After being denied Belgian permanent residence, Tania deliberately burns her fingers to remove her fingerprints and avoid identification. Tania advises her Belarusian friend Zina to apply for political asylum, since Belarus
is considered a dictatorship by Belgians, but Zina seems to dismiss Tania's advice.
Tania is caught, but she tells Ivan to run. She refuses to tell her name, hoping to be released after 5 months, as she is told by another illegal. Ivan comes to live with Zina. Tania is eager to start working in the detention center to earn money to phone him from time to time. Ivan wants to start working to earn his living. However, Tania is worried that it will be criminal work. Ivan wants to visit her, but she does not want that, it could make things worse. Authorities threaten to put her in jail for two years for giving a false name when applying for medical insurance.
Desperate, Tania identifies as Zina and applies for political asylum, as a Belarusian. But then she is surprised to learn that Zina has already asked for asylum before, in Poland. Eventually Tania (as Zina) is forced into a plane to be deported to Poland. However, other passengers protest, and she is taken off the plane. After being beaten on her way back to the detention center, she awakens in a hospital, and manages to escape the sleeping guard, to finally reunite with her son Ivan.
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Olivier Masset-Depasse. The film was selected as the Belgian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
at the 83rd Academy Awards
83rd Academy Awards
The 83rd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , honored the best films of 2010 and took place February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST. During the ceremony, Academy Awards ...
, but it did not make the final shortlist.
The film is critical of practices of Belgian immigration officers.
Plot
The film follows Tania and her 13-year-old son Ivan, two illegal RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n aliens living in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. After being denied Belgian permanent residence, Tania deliberately burns her fingers to remove her fingerprints and avoid identification. Tania advises her Belarusian friend Zina to apply for political asylum, since Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
is considered a dictatorship by Belgians, but Zina seems to dismiss Tania's advice.
Tania is caught, but she tells Ivan to run. She refuses to tell her name, hoping to be released after 5 months, as she is told by another illegal. Ivan comes to live with Zina. Tania is eager to start working in the detention center to earn money to phone him from time to time. Ivan wants to start working to earn his living. However, Tania is worried that it will be criminal work. Ivan wants to visit her, but she does not want that, it could make things worse. Authorities threaten to put her in jail for two years for giving a false name when applying for medical insurance.
Desperate, Tania identifies as Zina and applies for political asylum, as a Belarusian. But then she is surprised to learn that Zina has already asked for asylum before, in Poland. Eventually Tania (as Zina) is forced into a plane to be deported to Poland. However, other passengers protest, and she is taken off the plane. After being beaten on her way back to the detention center, she awakens in a hospital, and manages to escape the sleeping guard, to finally reunite with her son Ivan.
Cast
- Anne Coesens as Tania
- Alexandre Golntcharov as Ivan
- Frédéric Frenay as Policier 1
- Esse Lawson as Aissa
- Olivier Schneider as Policier 2
See also
- List of submissions to the 83rd Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of Belgian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film