A Stray

— This is one of the “little” films that makes some impact. It’s about a refugee in Minneapolis’ Somali community who ends up with a dog in his life adding another challenge as he deals with religious and practical considerations of being a refugee. The dog becomes something of an albatross, making him feel the sting of rejection even more as he wanders around town trying to reject the dog. The film feels like a documentary even though it’s fiction, probably because the filmmaker’s careful not to make the dog too cute or the refugee too likable. Instead it feels like a glimpse into a life in a refugee community that we just don’t see or think about very often.

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[2016. 82 min. Written and directed by Musa Syeed. Starring Barkhad Abdirahman, Bathia Absie, and Faysal Ahmed.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/a-stray-2016