Watch Special Flight

Special Flight is a 2011 French-Swiss documentary film directed by Fernand Melgar. The film takes the audience into the lives of undocumented migrants who face deportation from Switzerland. The movie is primarily set in a special detention center located in Frambois, Switzerland. This detention center, specifically designed for individuals who are to be deported, houses migrants who have been arrested for living in Switzerland without proper documentation. The documentary captures the lives of these migrants, as they prepare for the day they will be forcibly removed from Switzerland to their country of origin.

The film introduces its audience to a group of individuals whose lives are hanging in a balance as they wait to know whether they will be deported or not. Many of the migrants have been living in Switzerland for years and have established lives and families in the country. The documentary captures the harrowing stories of these migrants, as they recount the circumstances that led them to leave their country, often under duress, and the reasons they sought asylum in Switzerland.

The migrants featured in the film come from different parts of the world, including Africa, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. The film captures their diverse backgrounds, experiences, and cultures. The documentary reveals the struggles that undocumented migrants go through, as they navigate the harsh realities of their situation - including the fear of being caught, the struggle to make ends meet, and the uncertainty of their future.

The detention center is portrayed as a place of tension and mixed emotions. On one hand, the migrants are subjected to a strict daily routine, which includes meals, exercise, and activities. On the other hand, the migrants are allowed to interact with their families and loved ones, who visit them occasionally. The documentary features scenes of the migrants interacting with their family members, hugging and comforting each other, as they deal with the anxiety and stress of deportation.

The documentary also reveals the work of the Swiss authorities in charge of overseeing the deportation of migrants. The audience is introduced to the staff at the detention center, including guards and immigration officers, who explain their role in managing the detainees. The film presents the view of the authorities as being caught in a delicate balancing act of enforcing the law and treating migrants with dignity and respect.

One of the most important themes of the film is the emotional toll that deportation takes on the migrants. As they struggle with the possibility of being permanently separated from their families and the life they have built in Switzerland, many of the migrants reveal their fear and desperation. Some of the migrants are shown to be in a state of despair, while others are defiant and unwilling to leave.

Overall, Special Flight is a powerful and poignant documentary that offers an intimate look at the lives of undocumented migrants who face deportation from Switzerland. The film is well-crafted, with beautiful cinematography that captures the human emotion and experience of the migrants. It is an insightful and thought-provoking film that offers a timely commentary on the issues of migration and immigration control.

Special Flight is a 2011 documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 39 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.4.