Gateway to Hope - The Migrant Crisis review: Documentary brings up critical points but stops itself from taking the deep dive

Gateway to Hope: The Migrant Crisis: DocuBay’s latest documentary takes us to Lampedusa, a tiny Italian island, which is seen as the gateway to Europe by numerous migrants as they seek new worlds to build their lives. But it is also the starting point of the migrant crisis, the documentary shows as it delves into the reasons, impact, complexities and the political implications of one of the most pressing challenges of today's times.

Gateway to Hope: The Migrant Crisis review: Whenever reports of refugee boats sinking or migrants found dead in trucks surface, most of the world speaks up emphatically about the horrifying humanitarian crisis. But what makes hundreds of refugees to board an already overcrowded boat or trek through an endless desert or cramp into a truck, the appalling journey in itself one of the worst horrors of recent human history.

Gateway to Hope: The Migrant Crisis, a DocuBay original, takes viewers to the heart of the crisis - the tiny Lampedusa island which received the one of the first such exodus of refugees in the early 2010s and continue to grapple with the crisis, the size of the land or its resources vastly inadequate to deal with the overwhelming number of people coming in. Right from the Arab Spring and the deteriorating situations in the African countries that sparked this exodus, the thought-provoking documentary chronicles the refugees’ struggle for survival, the frontline workers dealing with the crisis, the larger political implications, and the impact it has on the home country.

From the horrifying tales of migrants, including that of a young African girl who was raped en route by a man old enough to be her father, to the disturbing scenes witnessed by frontline workers as they rushed in after refugee boat sinking, the documentary offers an insight into one of the biggest crises faced by humanity in recent times.

Helmed by Max Serio, the documentary also features real-life footage of the victims of boat sinking, the staggering numbers of migrant exodus and more. Viewer discretion is also requested as the documentary does contain disturbing images. Gateway to Hope: The Migrant Crisis brings in rights activists, experts and members of the European Union, who give a more accurate picture of how migration is more about the political landscape across the countries.

Beyond the humanitarian crisis, the migrant crisis is also used as a ‘tool’ by countries to push their political narratives and seek financial aid, the documentary tells us. The makers have tried to give a 360-degree view of the crisis, from the reason for the exodus to the flight for freedom, and the impact on the European countries receiving them.

However, a crisis of this mammoth scale required more duration to give a more insightful report. At a mere 45 minutes, the documentary looks terribly limited to give us the actual picture and looks more like it touches upon the important points. Though the makers promised to delve into the issues faced by Lampedusa, the island merely serves as a prologue as the rest of the documentary delves into the other aspects of the crisis but these end up as passing references and not dealt with comprehensively.

Gateway to Hope: The Migrant Crisis verdict: A documentary shedding light on the migrant crisis, one of the pressing challenges faced by the world, especially European countries, is much welcomed.  But Gateway to Hope: The Migrant Crisis stops from taking the deep dive, limited by time constraints. Despite the shortcomings, Gateway of Europe: The Migrant Crisis, which premiered on World Refugee Day on June 20 on DocuBay, deserves to be watched.

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