In This World

"The journey to freedom has no borders."

2003 1h 28m EN

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 59

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Torn straight from the headlines, Michael Winterbottom's compelling and prescient 'In This World' follows young Afghan Jamal and his older cousin Enayat as they embark on a hazardous overland trip from their refugee camp at Peshawar, north-west Pakistan. Entering Turkey on foot through a snowy, Kurdish-controlled pass, the pair again take their lives into their hands and face suffocation when they are locked in a freight container on a ship bound for Italy. From there they plan to travel on to Paris, the Sangatte refuge centre and ultimately asylum in London.

“The journey to freedom has no borders.”

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Cast

Jamal Udin Torabi
Jamal
Enayatullah
Enayat
Imran Paracha
Travel Agent (Pakistan)
Hiddayatullah
Enayat's Brother (Pakistan)
Jamau
Enayat's Father (Pakistan)
Wakeel Khan
Enayat's Uncle 1 (Pakistan)
Lal Zarin
Enayat's Uncle 2 (Pakistan)
Ahsan Raza
Money Changer (Pakistan)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Michael Winterbottom
Writers: Tony Grisoni
Languages: English, Persian, Turkish, German
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

88 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 23 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: English, Persian, Turkish, German.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Michael Winterbottom, shot by Marcel Zyskind. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Dario Marianelli. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Peter Christelis shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jamal Udin Torabi and Enayatullah and Imran Paracha carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The journey to freedom has no borders.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Michael Winterbottom directs. Marcel Zyskind behind the camera. Dario Marianelli scores. Peter Christelis cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English, Persian, Turkish, German.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

188 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 23 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 4 languages: English, Persian, Turkish, German.
4Directed by Michael Winterbottom, shot by Marcel Zyskind. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Dario Marianelli. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Peter Christelis shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Jamal Udin Torabi and Enayatullah and Imran Paracha carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "The journey to freedom has no borders.".
9IMDB entry: tt0310154 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 59 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.