Directed by Michael Winterbottom
Written by Tony Grisoni

In This World tracks the story of two Afghan refugees attempting to make their way from a Pakistani refugee camp to the promised land of London, England. There's a sequence late in the film of the main characters working in Italy, which brings to mind the work of Rossellini and De Sica from Italy's post war Neorealist movement. It isn't solely an homage because In This World is a modern-day Neorealist film, capturing the genre with its use of non-actors, natural lighting and a plot that is a realistic portrayal of the day-to-day struggles in people's lives. It is a poignant tale presented in such an honest and unobtrusive way that I couldn't remember if I was watching a documentary or a work of fiction, which is was great art does.

Enayatullah and his family were among the throngs of Afghans who fled to safety as the United States attacked Afghanistan and the Taliban. They ended up in a Pakistani refugee camp. It is decided that Enayatullah will go to London so he can make some money to help the family. Enayatullah's younger cousin Jamal, who's around 15 years old, accompanies him because Jamal speaks a little English. The family can't afford airfare, so the cousins have to make the trip by land, which is a difficult proposition due to all the borders that have to be crossed and the black market dealings involved in the illegal transportation of people. Payoffs have to be made two or three steps in advance and there's no assurance that the next group of contacts will be found so the trek could come to a sudden dead end at any time. Their journey to England takes them from Pakistan through Iran, Turkey, Italy and France. Their modes of transportation include but aren't limited to buses, military vehicles, the backs of trucks, being locked in box for 40 hours on a freighter, and even sneaking across borders on foot passed armed guards.

Although traveling is hard, waiting for the next leg of the journey to start is equally as taxing. Hours and even days of frustration pass as they helplessly linger in a new town, jumping at sounds that might be the authorities coming to send them back. The pressure increases as funds shrink, paying for unaccounted meals and hotel rooms on this layover none of their travel agents mentioned.

Unexpectedly, there's a knock. Quick! Grab your bag. Run to the pick-up point. Hurry! Get in. Call this phone number. No time for questions. Good luck. All the while never knowing if you're being steered in the right direction, if your payoff made it to the next man in the chain, if the phone number will work.

There's a great sequence where the boys are on a bus headed to Tehran. An Iranian officer gets on the bus and immediately recognizes them as Afghans. It was an odd moment because being an American and having limited contact with different types of Arabs in no way could I have picked out Afghanis from the Iranians on the bus, but the officer knew immediately. After bribing him with a watch, they are escorted by tank to the Pakistani border. Since London was their only option, Enayatullah and Jamal find the man responsible for getting them into Iran to start the process over. Unfortunately, they have to repay because now they won't catch up to their money. There's no guarantee that those originally paid off will still be doing the job by the time they arrive.