Chasing Asylum

Chasing Asylum is a hard-hitting Australian documentary from 2016. The movie features statements and interviews from names familiar to Australian politics such as John Howard, Julia Gillard, and Tony Abbott along with accounts from asylum seekers, social workers, and former detention centre workers - but these figures play more symbolic roles. It is a compelling tale directed by Eva Orner, a native of Australia who also happens to be an Academy Award-winning documentary maker.

The documentary unravels the influential role of the Australian government over the years in handling asylum seekers and refugees. The hard stance taken by successive Australian administrations against undocumented immigrants is detailed through archival footages which include speeches and public addresses by former Prime Ministers John Howard, Julia Gillard, and Tony Abbott. They have been invested in implementing stringent policies related to undocumented immigrants which have been highly controversial inside and outside Australia but are also cherished by a section of the electorate.

Chasing Asylum is not limited to the political insight but also focuses on the humanitarian horror these asylum seekers face. Orner has included footage from off-shore detention centres located on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea, and Nauru, where Australia sends its undocumented sailors. The situation at these off-shore centres is hair-raising. The harsh living conditions, the lack of proper amenities and respect, and the open-ended detention with little or no hope for the future creates an environment of tension, fear, and trauma among the detainees. As detainees spend their life waiting for asylum in subhuman conditions, on the other side, Australia strives to preserve its sociopolitical fibre from the overwhelming influx of refugees.

The film tactfully uncovers the disturbing reality of seeking asylum in a supposedly 'better world'. It doesn’t shy away from giving detailed and eye-opening descriptions of the living conditions within these detention centres. The film bravely exposes not only the psychological and physical distress suffered by the men, women, and children detained within these centres but also how Australia’s policies have prolonged and even intensified their suffering. The documentary utilises raw footage, sometimes filmed illegally, that demonstrates the inhumane conditions asylum seekers must survive in, only increasing the exhaustive ordeal of the documented events.

The directing skills of Orner are very much apparent in Chasing Asylum. The intense subject matter is handled sensitively, and the footage is narrated and arranged in a way that helps to intricately detail the gruelling process and emotional toll asylum seekers face. The viewers are introduced to asylum seekers who passionately narrate their poignant journey and struggle for freedom and safety from their home countries torn apart by war and perils. This gives a much-needed face and voice to their struggle, which often remains invisible behind bureaucratic curtains. The documentary is successful in humanising the asylum seekers and enables the audience to empathise with the possibility of being uprooted from one’s homeland.

Additionally, the director has been effective in portraying the distress of workers at these detention centres. The workers, some of whom decided to break the code of confidentiality, offer insight into the conditions within these centres. They open up about the physical and emotional strain they encountered while working and how they struggle with the moral and ethical dilemmas of their roles.

While the documentary critiques the stance and policies of the Australian government towards asylum seekers, it also underlines the alarming global refugee crisis. The film, through multiple lenses, tends to question the role of nations and their laws in exacerbating the refugee crisis. The relevance of Chasing Asylum is undeniably global.

Chasing Asylum delivers an intimate, revealing, and at times, shocking vision of Australia’s treatment of asylum seekers. It’s not just a film, but a fierce commentary, a wake-up call, and an international plea for humanity in managing one of the most pressing crises of our time - the refugee crisis. It is an invitation to action, a cry for change, and an appeal for empathy. It brings attention not only to what's happening in Australia but raises questions about international policies on refugees, a powerful insight into the human stories behind the headlines.