SCREEN BITE: Frank Berry’s Aisha strikes a difficult balance between veering into a limited portrayal of refugee and Black suffering and sincerely depicting the film’s protagonist as a fully formed young woman with desires, aspirations, and a purpose beyond her pain. Leticia Wright does well in emoting Aisha’s spectrum of feelings during successive, seemingly insurmountable circumstances. Aisha’s restraint, vulnerability, devastation, ire, fear, joy, and prevailing hope for the future are all stunningly conveyed as she begins to forge a delicate bond with Conor.

Ultimately, there’s no simple resolution to her years-long battle for asylum. The story lands in a place that aims for a sense of realism over offering the neat or satisfying conclusion that viewers may expect. You’re left to sit in the unknown along with Aisha, share in her frustrations, and still dare to dream and fight another day.

RECOMMENDATION: Watch.

A story particular to Ireland that is incredibly timely and has far-reaching resonance.