Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
‘Home is like a turtle in its shell, you take it with you wherever you go’ – Largo
Directed by Salvatore Scarpa and Max Burgoyne-Moore, ‘Largo’ tells the story of Musa (Zack Elsokari), a refugee boy living under the care of Grace (Tamsin Greig), a British woman. Longing for his parents and unable to suppress his restless hope, Musa pours his faith into a fragile dream: constructing a boat that he believes will carry him back to his family.
At just nineteen minutes long, ‘Largo’ opens with an ominous image of a turbulent sea, accompanied by coastguard radio chatter about a distressed vessel overcrowded with refugees. From there, the film draws us into the world through the eyes of Musa, the young immigrant protagonist looking for his parents.
Set in a quiet seaside town in Britain, the calm façade hides deep racial tensions. Outside Grace’s home, Musa becomes a target, first jeered at by men old enough to be his father, then bullied by a group of children. The contrast is striking, subtly highlighting the way kids mimic the prejudices of adults around them, reminding viewers of how hate is learned. Still, their innocence leaves room for change, shown poignantly in the second half of ‘Largo’, when the same kids later help Musa with his boat.
Child actor Zack Elsokari steers this short film, convincingly portraying various facets of Musa, from a steely determination to find his parents, to the childlike angst and frustrations of being a fish out of water in an unknown land. Tamsin Greig as Grace serves as a sturdy anchor to the lost Musa, although she doesn’t always know how to handle the kid.
‘Largo’ swiftly conveys the refugee crisis through Musa’s eyes, capturing the painful struggles of children torn from their families. In one of the most poignant exchanges, other children tell Musa to “go back home,” and the boy snaps back that he wishes he could.
Home, unfortunately, is not a turtle shell, it cannot always travel with us. Sometimes it is stolen, shattered, torn away. But humans carry the gift of rebuilding. The film leaves us at a crossroads, with an ending that breathes both despair and promise: Musa’s tale may end in loss, or in the fragile spark of a new beginning.
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