''Concrete Valley'' is a Canadian

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

, directed by Antoine Bourges and released in 2022.Pat Mullen
"Concrete Valley Review: Straddling Two Worlds"
''

Point of View Point of view or Points of View may refer to: Concept and technique * Point of view (philosophy), an attitude how one sees or thinks of something * Point of view (literature) or narrative mode, the perspective of the narrative voice; the pronou ...

'', September 12, 2022. The film centres on a family of

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

n immigrants to Canada who are struggling to establish themselves in the

Thorncliffe Park Thorncliffe Park is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in the former Borough of East York. The City of Toronto recognizes Thorncliffe Park's boundaries as the Don River on the south side; Leaside Bridge, Millwood Road, and Laird Driv ...

neighbourhood of

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

. The film has a cast of predominantly amateur actors.Mira Miller
"A movie about immigrating to Thorncliffe Park is getting its world premiere in Toronto"
''BlogTO'', September 11, 2022. The film was written by Bourges and Teyama Alkamli, based in part on interviews with the cast about their own real experiences as immigrants. It stars Hussam Douhna as Rashid, who was a doctor in Syria but has been humiliated by his inability to use his skills in his new home; Amani Ibrahim as his wife Fahra, who finds meaning by participating in a volunteer neighbourhood cleanup crew; and Abdullah Nadaf as their son Ammar. Aliya Kanani, the main professional actress in the cast, has a supporting role as the leader of the community cleanup group. The film premiered in the Wavelengths program at the

2022 Toronto International Film Festival The 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, the 47th event in the Toronto International Film Festival series, is scheduled to be held from September 8 to 18, 2022. Festival organizers have indicated that the 2022 festival will be staged primar ...

. It was later screened at the

73rd Berlin Film Festival The 73rd annual Berlin International Film Festival, usually called the Berlinale (), took place from 16 to 26 February 2023. It was the first completely in-person Berlinale since the 70th in 2020. The festival has added a new award for best te ...

in February 2023,Scott Roxborough
"Berlin Fest Adds World Premieres of John Malkovich’s ‘Seneca,’ Alex Gibney’s Boris Becker Doc"
''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'', December 20, 2022. before going into commercial release in July.Barry Hertz, "Canadian drama Concrete Valley delivers an uncanny level of richly rewarding cinema: In Concrete Valley, Antoine Bourges, his co-writer Teyama Alkamli and the cast build a different kind of cinematic storytelling right before our eyes". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', July 17, 2023.

Critical response

Barry Hertz of ''

'' positively reviewed the film, writing that "the performers’ sometimes stilted, halting line-readings circumvent a sense of amateurism due to the film’s central thematic preoccupations – every character here is learning to live a new life, unsure of themselves, their language, their place. The result is rather thrilling, with Bourges, his co-writer Teyama Alkamli and his cast building a different kind of cinematic storytelling right before our eyes."

References

External links

* 2022 films 2022 drama films Canadian docufiction films Films shot in Toronto Films set in Toronto Films directed by Antoine Bourges English-language Canadian films 2020s Canadian films {{2020s-Canada-film-stub