Largo (dirs. Salvatore Scarpa & Max Burgoyne Moore) 

By: Adam Freed

Some of the world’s biggest issues can appear so immense that making a difference feels impossible.  This is certainly the case for the global refugee crisis that includes eleven million children growing up in displacement.  So how does the world, a nation, a community wrap its arms around a catastrophe of such enormity?  Like the journey of a million miles, it must begin with a single step.  Directors Salvatore Scarpa and Max Burgoyne-Moore frame the refugee crisis in their powerful and pointed short film Largo.  The directorial duo frame their story from the perspective of a young boy named Musa, a Syrian child being raised away from his birth family in a quaint British seaside town.  Musa’s caretaker Grace, played with depth and compassion by Tamsin Grieg, (Shaun of the Dead) opens her heart to the boy, who desperately wants nothing more than to reunite with his family, no matter the cost.

Largo is a delicate and thoughtful reminder that inside everyone there exists a power to make a difference.  That life-changing potential can be unlocked by simply opening one’s heart to the needs of others, in particular children.  Musa’s desperation to return home is fueled by a community that does not whole heartedly accept his existence, as the child is viewed by some residents of the coastal village as a scourge to society.  The inner workings of Musa’s precarious psychology is captured admirably by Zack Elsokari, (Hotel Costiera) a child actor clearly gifted beyond his years.  The fragile determination with which Elsokari plays Musa is complemented by the protective conservatorship demonstrated by Grace.  Largo is at its best in the few quiet moments shared between Musa and Grace. Tamsin Grieg’s command of her character’s protective sensibilities is perfectly balanced against Elsokari’s youthful resolve.  Largo is a potent reminder that the beauty and thematic heft of cinema is not limited to feature length productions.  What Scarpa and Burgoyne-Moore have created in Largo is a film that should act as a resounding call to action for anyone who feels that global issues are beyond the influence of the individual.  While there may be no way to instantly remedy the eleven million global child refugees, there is always the possibility of helping one.

Target Score 8.5/10 - Set against the gorgeously rendered backdrop of a small seaside town in the United Kingdom, Largo is the memorable story of a child refugee and his desperate quest to reunite with his family.  Salvatore Scarpa and Max Burgoyne-Moore direct a powerful short film that boasts a pair of memorable performances.