Written and directed by Olly Ginelli, one of the most dangerous journeys on the planet, taken every day by tens of thousands, is also one of the least documented. Until now. Starring: Warren Mendy, Assiba Blejah and Aymen Hamdouchi.
Human trafficking, and modern slavery on the whole, are such vital issues of our time, so it’s always great to see filmmakers exploring them on the screen, whether it be with a short, feature or series, it needs to be talked about, to remind people how prevalent and devastating of an issue it is. It’s the perfect example of modern society’s lack of humanity and insatiable greed. Given how important, powerful and poignant of a subject that trafficking is, it of course comes with a lot of responsibility upon filmmakers to do it justice, and approach it with sensitivity and respect, and that’s what Olly Ginelli does with The Long Spring.
It was an unusual choice to focus on this one moment within the larger realm of an arduous journey for the characters, but also a clever one. By remaining within this relatively short amount of time, and mostly within a single enclosed environment, Ginelli is able to relate the individual struggles of the characters, while also capturing the bigger picture. Trying to fit the whole journey into a single fifteen minute short would have very likely cut its emotion and power off at the knees. Instead, the audience is able to sit with these characters in a mostly quiet, but also terrifying, moment and connect with them as people.
That’s really the key to exploring these themes, reminding people that those suffering at the hands of traffickers are not simply statistics, and you may be seeing them in your everyday life without knowing it. The latter is most strongly captured by Ginelli’s choice to factor in archive footage for The Long Spring’s ending. That choice does a wonderful job of opening up the conversation and cementing that look at the bigger picture.
It’s also a very interesting contrast to the heightened atmosphere of The Long Spring, building so much tension and apprehension, to then truly ground things with the ending. Helping to again strike the note of how close to home this should hit, and it arguably also eases the audience out of the experience, giving you time to reflect, even if briefly.
A key part of building its impactful tension is the cinematography from Michael Kinsella-Perks, which immediately hits you with the superb depth to its colour. When crafting a story driven by such complex emotions and deep struggle, creating an affecting aesthetic builds a terrific foundation for the performances and writing to excel. The Long Spring certainly has that, it’s very well shot, and Ginelli builds an intimacy of sorts, portraying the connection which is built upon going through such a harrowing experience.
Another fundamental element to building The Long Spring’s atmosphere are the choices of sound and music. The score from James Preston and the song choices elevate the fear, in a non-traditional way, which is particularly effective in the film’s final scenes. All of which is then complemented by the performances, which expand the tone of the film. Warren Mendy’s Arron adds a strong personality, confidence, charisma and empathy right from the beginning so to then see how his character breaks down throughout this journey is a great portrayal of its traumatic nature.
Whereas we see a different kind of strength in Assiba Blejah’s Kika and Aymen Hamdouchi’s Nasser. Blejah initially gives us that traditional fear and vulnerability, but we see her resilience and determination quietly open up as The Long Spring moves forward. While Hamdouchi brings a practicality and caution into the mix, which quickly and effectively signifies the type of background which he comes from, living within an oppressive, authoritarian society. Together the three of them craft very different personalities, individual motivations and struggles, but as the story reaches its height, they become a collective body almost within that fear, and fight.
The Long Spring does a terrific job of capturing the strength of the human spirit, along with the very real experiences of human trafficking which fiercely work to break it. Olly Ginelli demonstrates a sincere level of consideration in how to tell this story in a way that highlights this vital issue, and its vast impact in the wider world, and also give the audience the opportunity to connect with the story on a more intimate level. The performances from Warren Mendy, Assiba Blejah and Aymen Hamdouchi are utterly relatable, earnest and honest. It’s impactfully shot, with a strong aesthetic and depth, it’s tense, moving and meaningful.
