Aisha

Aisha, a young Nigerian woman seeking asylum in Ireland, is floundering in a maze of social services and bureaucracy. Alone and unwilling to sacrifice her dignity to satisfy the demands of the authorities, she finds an ally in Connor, an employee at her residence home, a local young man with a troubled past of his own. Together they struggle to maintain their tender friendship in the face of Aisha’s increasingly dire predicament and her rapidly diminishing options. Poignant and timely, this emotionally resonant story gives a window into the heartbreaking plight of people fleeing real danger and the labyrinthine bureaucracy that keeps them desperate and helpless. Anchoring the piece in gravitas and authenticity, Letitia Wright’s powerful, restrained performance conveys her character’s strength, deep-seated trauma, and the anguish of living in limbo. Through his understated, sensitive approach, director Frank Berry immerses the audience in the quiet desperation of Aisha’s plight, and given the ever-increasing number of displaced people fleeing danger worldwide shares a story that is sadly becoming a global one. (Tribeca Film Festival)