‘The Lion at My Back’ Review: An Asylum Seeker and a Former Drug Addict Face the World in Different Ways in a Promising but Pat Redemption Tale

Recently premiered in Karlovy Vary, this drama from Cypriot director Tonia Mishiali​ is at its best when it doesn’t force its poetry.

By Elena Lazic

Elena Lazic

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Juxtaposing the story of a young asylum seeker with that of a former drug addict, “The Lion at My Back” highlights the way in which perceived hierarchies of suffering feel somewhat irrelevant on an individual level. Or, rather, that they should: Everyone has more to gain in looking for similarities than in emphasizing difference. Presented in the Crystal Globe competition at Karlovy Vary, the second feature from Cypriot director Tonia Mishiali​ is at its best when it stops short of waxing lyrical about the beauty of connection in the face of adversity: These sentimental flourishes undermine the raw and visceral quality of the bond between the film’s two very different characters. Before it indulges this streak with an unnecessarily melodramatic final act, ‘The Lion at My Back’ has the makings of a more original and grounded film about healing through friendship. 

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