Limbo review – empathy at its finest

Mixing dark humour with a topic that is hard to get right, Limbo opens a cupboard of emotions and lets them all out, freely mixing together to create a beautiful and, above all, human experience.

Clear and concise in its meaning, ‘limbo’ can often come across as a worn-out buzzword. Apart from being a popular party game that I never seemed to get the knack of, the term, ironically, finds itself trapped between two similar meanings: the spiritual land where souls wait between worlds or a situation that seems to not want to end.
Either way, the emphasis falls on the lack of change, the correlation between being both lost and stuck at the same time (which can also refer to the party game after brushing the bar accidently with my nose). Limbo certainly embodies every uncertain emotion as Sharrock traps himself between humour and hopelessness; knowing exactly how to go about it.
Damp, cold, and grey, Scotland is home to many lost souls seeking asylum; waiting for the priceless envelope that will confirm their status and allow them to work legally in the UK. Omar (Amir El-Masry), a young Syrian musician, lives day to day as he attends cultural lessons while updating his parents from...