Ragazzi al Fiume

On the riverbank, accompanied by the soft sound of lapping water in the background, they meet peers from the local area and enjoy simple, everyday moments. Yet, beneath this summer idyll lies a profound sense of uncertainty: a proposed change in Swiss law threatens to deport healthy, single Afghan men over the age of eighteen back to the very country they fled.

As the hours pass, painful memories surface. The young men speak of their perilous journeys through dark forests and on overcrowded boats, the loss of loved ones, and the violence of the Taliban that forced them to escape. Through sensory imagery of the landscape and intimate conversations by the water, the film captures a sharp contrast between the tranquil Swiss setting and the harsh reality of life as a refugee. In this way, the film, the title of which translates to “the boys by the river”, evolves into an observational portrait of isolation, loss, and the longing for a peaceful future.