LAST RESORT

Tanya, a twice-married Russian illustrator of children's books, arrives at a London airport with her son Artiom, expecting to rendezvous with her latest wrong Mr. Right as they had planned. But the English “fianc?” fails to show up to meet them. And thus does the bottom drop out of their world. With no other contacts or means of support, Tanya makes a panicked decision to apply for political asylum, and she and Artiom are unceremoniously carted off to Stonehaven, a “designated holding area” for the many thousands of refugees seeking entry into the UK. The dreary seaside community is an open-air prison, patrolled by security cameras and bored, surly police. The Britons Tanya and Artiom meet tend to be misfits, predators and opportunists attracted to Stonehaven and the opportunity of making a quick quid off the frightened foreigners. But one man, Alfie, genuinely befriends them. He's a rough but sincere amusement-arcade manager and bingo-caller who appoints himself the pair's guardian angel. Have Tanya and Artiom found a home after all? With documentary realism, LAST RESORT plunges you into the alien landscape felt by displaced persons, where impersonal bureaucrats and blind chance opens and shuts doors to the future. (In English and Russian with English subtitles)