Love Child

A poignant portrait of Leila and Sahand, an Iranian couple who, outlawed for their love, at risk of stoning and execution, had to flee the country with their four-year-old son, Mani. Intimately filmed over five years, we follow their quest to be together at last, in a kafkaesque life in Istanbul awaiting their refugee status and their departure for a new home country.

"They are blissfully happy together, have a cute little son and are ready for a new start. But there’s a big problem: Leila and Sahand are both still married to other people. And in Iran, there are severe penalties for adultery.
In the opening minutes of Love Child, the couple flees to neighboring Turkey to apply for refugee status and escape the perilous situation they face in Tehran. This proves to be a lengthy struggle. The Danish director Eva Mulvad follows the lovers over six years as they start a new life and laboriously progress through the asylum procedure. We see their fear and uncertainty, although their trust in each other always comes first.
The radical political changes taking place in Iran mean that Leila and Sahand are by no means the only ones who feel forced to flee the country. Mulvad films their hardest and happiest moments, without anyone seeming to mind the presence of the camera. Together with footage shot by Sahand himself, Love Child brings life as a refugee movingly close."
(IDFA)