Back home Salih has a reputation as a storyteller, and so he has a story to tell us. He is an optimistic man, with faith that his god will provide for him, will provide signs of good fortune - even if they aren't always easy to interpret.
Salih (Nebli Basani) and Jacek (Steven Duffy) wake up from their resting place in a back garden bin store, where a flashing streetlight guided them (!) after being thrown out of their hostel. In the night the wind has blown a lottery ticket for that day into Jacek's pocket. Salih knows it's a sign -but what of? Is this to be the moment when he is finally able to return from exile to his Kurdish home, will Jacek again have the money to support his family back in Poland? Salih's optimism is refreshed....
Even when Rhona (Helen Mallon) finds them in her garden and immediately feels threatened. Not just vagrants, but immigrants? One of them an asylum seeker? Salih charms her into accepting their help with a nasty plumbing problem and they set about their task as best they can. Is the lottery ticket on their side, or is Salih's sunny view of the future misplaced?
Donna Franceschild's script provides plenty of laughs, but there's a serious undertone to it all. Using Salih to narrate events not only helps connect the various scenes together, but presents us with a very human portrait of a man caught between the authorities of both his home and his adopted country.
Jacek is his sceptical counterpart, a realist and cynic just trying to get by and do the right thing.
While Rhona is wrapped up in her own world and, outwardly tolerant, has her limits tested.
It's an effective snapshot of how difficult life can be for immigrants in brexit Britain, even in a Scotland that's shown itself to be more open and welcoming that our southern neighbour. Intolerance is easier without understanding. Everyone needs a Salih to tell their story.
Recommended.
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