Films A-Z
The Fortress
La forteresse
Fernand Melgar / Switzerland / 2008 / 104 min.
An asylum seekers' centre in the Swiss town of Vallorbe is constantly overflowing with people seeking a new home. Men, women and children from practically every continent spend a short but important time in this facility, which serves as a bridge between their painful past and an uncertain future. The centre has its own life, which is divided into two factions - employees and inhabitants. All of them must observe set rules. Apparent freedom is therefore only temporary, demarcated by permitted outings and the time spent in two interviews with immigration officials. Although the tales of people from Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Armenia, Bosnia and Iraq are different (you can sense the trauma experienced in some of them), other stories are repeated and it is hard to judge their authenticity. Consequently, is it at all possible to take on the onerous responsibility of deciding a person's fate? According to which criteria should asylum be granted when it is necessary to take so many nuances into consideration? And how can we be certain that refugees can return alive and well to a country where the government has since guaranteed their safety. Despite the difference between them, both groups often blend together in the daily rhythm of life at the centre. Through this documentary, we can for a moment become part of this place and try and see what it feels like to make decisions about other people's lives. Besides a number of other accolades, this film also won the prize for best documentary at the Locarno festival and an audience award at the Festival dei Popoli in Florence.