"I Was A Stranger" Movie Review

Often times when a movie comes out shortly after a worldwide crisis or worse, at the same time it’s still going on, it can easily be ignored by people thinking it’s nothing but propaganda.  And if that movie happens to be put out by Angel Studios, many misconceptions and connotations can be imposed on a film long before someone actually sees it.  That’s sad.

I Was A Stranger tells five very different stories unfolding in five different parts of the world, all with one common story-thread: escape from a terrible life of oppression and trying to make a better one for them and their families.  It’s hard-hitting and disturbing at times but not in a flashy way but actually in a very real way that forces you to open your mind, broaden your horizons, and if you can let any prejudices and preconceived notions wash away even if only for 90-minutes, this movie can move you.

With zero recognizable star power and spot-on dramatic acting, this viewer often felt like these stories played as if I was watching the news and once the reporter ended their commentary, the camera swung around and followed the characters' story.  Say what you will about the state of our world.  There’s no denying the world is on fire and we as a human race are slowly slipping into irreversible condemnation.  If nothing else, this movie shows the very real repercussions of that madness and shows a human side of the statistics and then blurred out news footage of war, ravage, bombing, and living a life in uncertain times the likes of which no American will likely ever know.  There’s comfort in that, “That could never happen to me” mentality but as a fellow member of that same human race that people all over the world are a part of as well, we have an obligation to see what I Was A Stranger plays out.  It may not change your world views, it may not make you a better person, but you will come away a more educated person having been exposed to a world slowly being torn apart.

- Paul Rosen