The Crossing

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German-based American filmmaker Nora Hoppe directs this grim drama about death, memory, and redemption. Middle-aged Afghan refugee Babak (Behrouz Vossoughi) works menial jobs and lives in a broken-down rooming house in Brussels. One day, he happens upon Sarban (Johan Leysen), an enigmatic stranger who claims that he is looking for his relatives. As the two talk, Babak grows increasingly unnerved by the similarity between their pasts. Slowly, Sarban, who is later revealed to be some sort of supernatural being, begins prodding Babak's memories, first by serving him a dish he has not eaten since he left his homeland and then by forcing him to reveal the bloody, treacherous means through which he managed to come abroad. The Crossing was screened at the 1999 San Sebastian Film Festival.