Jamal, a 16-yers-old Pashtun, has decided to transverse the silk road on land en route to what he envisions as a better place- London, England. Along with his twenty something cousin Enayat, he braves a long, punishing journey with only his cryptic English on him.

In this World follows the journey of the two Pashtun refugees. Blurring reality and fiction boundaries, the digitally-shot British film employs handheld camerawork so that the very cinematography problematizes the plight of the refugees. It evokes the feelings of restlessness, dissonance and exhaustion that accompany the via dolorosa the characters have to go through. In effect, the film, almost literally, puts the viewers in Jamal and Enayat’s shoes.

The traveling pair ash to face the chicanery of human smugglers who exact ash from them in exchange for stealthy transportation across boarders. They escape gunfire as they trek a snow-covered trail in pitch darkness. And in one painful scene that will haunt me for some time. Jamal en Enayat are imprisoned in the cargo of a delivery truck for 40 hours along with other refugees, among them, baby Sealed, cramped and illuminated only by a single flashlight, the truck becomes hell on earth from which there is no escape, especially for those who do not live to tell the tale.

But in this World is not just a National Geographic expose on Third World misery. The most moving moments are the mundane glimpses of humanity shining through incredibly inhumane conditions. We see Jamal enjoying a game of football with boys his age, cracking silly jokes and enjoying a tall cone of ice cream. One scene that stands out beautifully is when Jamal bids goodbye to friends and relatives just before he sets out on his journey. As he walks away from the refugee camp, a small boy follows him jestingly and ignores Jamal’s step orders for him to go back home. Because the scene unfolds in a subtle, non-manipulative way, it tugs at the heart in a powerful way. It sent at least one film reviewer weeping. Adding authentically is Winterbottom’s choice of non-actors to play roles that mirror their real-life roles; no Holywood method acting here.

We follow the arduous journey- Shamshatoo-Peshawar-Quetta-Tehran- Istanbul- Trieste-Sangatte refugee camp in France. From there, the channel tunnel to the U.K promises a better place, a better life.

Do the two weary travelers make it to destination freedom?

We see a solitary Jamal washing dishes in a London café. The phone rings and he picks it up. It is a call from Afghanistan. When asked where Enayat was, Jamal answers. Not in this world, Enayat did not make it through the 40 hour trip.

In the closings scene, Jamal ardently prays to Allah in a London mosque. He has been through hell and back. But he is alive. He is here. In this world.