Syrian Refugees Find a New Home in the Old West
Amidst the current political unrest in the Unites States, the topic of accepting refugees is a controversial issue. For many asylum seekers, finding refuge in the U.S is not possible. However, many refugees have found solace in the USA of yesteryear- a wild west themed park in Southern Sweden.
High Chaparral short
High Chaparral, which is named after a 1960's era television show about the wild west is an open air museum that includes a church, saloon, burger joints, and a real life cherif. While High Chaparral is dedicated to gun swillers and gunslingers in the months of May thru August, the winter months see a different kind of dedication. Families being united, children running through its …show more content…
The film High Chaparral, begins with harrowing accounts of carnage from the some of the refugees, layered over the quaint, snow ridden village in Northern Sweden. The peacefulness of the deserted theme park provides for a harsh contrast with the civil war in the middle east. This visceral and emotional detail is what makes Freid's film so excellent.
Freid knows what he's doing with his juxtaposition of beauty and horror. One of the most striking things about this short, aside from the personal accounts of refugees, is the beautiful swedish landscape. Snow covered pines trees and mountains provide a backdrop for the brevity of the refugees struggle of assimilation. Like many of these people, displaced to a foreign land that doesn't seem to make sense, the wild west within a swedish forest is a very visual comparison for their predicament.
High Chaparral is very helpful when it comes to setting up this strange scenario for the viewer. At the start of the civil war, Sweden was the first country to announce that it will grant asylum to all Syrians who apply there. Since that announcement, asylum has been granted to 163,000 refugees. With an obvious problem of logistics, third generation owner of High Chaparral Emil Erlandsson contacted his government and said he could help. Thus, with 600 beds free at the park from September to May, the wild west refugee camp
Amidst the current political unrest in the Unites States, the topic of accepting refugees is a controversial issue. For many asylum seekers, finding refuge in the U.S is not possible. However, many refugees have found solace in the USA of yesteryear- a wild west themed park in Southern Sweden.
High Chaparral short
High Chaparral, which is named after a 1960's era television show about the wild west is an open air museum that includes a church, saloon, burger joints, and a real life cherif. While High Chaparral is dedicated to gun swillers and gunslingers in the months of May thru August, the winter months see a different kind of dedication. Families being united, children running through its …show more content…
The film High Chaparral, begins with harrowing accounts of carnage from the some of the refugees, layered over the quaint, snow ridden village in Northern Sweden. The peacefulness of the deserted theme park provides for a harsh contrast with the civil war in the middle east. This visceral and emotional detail is what makes Freid's film so excellent.
Freid knows what he's doing with his juxtaposition of beauty and horror. One of the most striking things about this short, aside from the personal accounts of refugees, is the beautiful swedish landscape. Snow covered pines trees and mountains provide a backdrop for the brevity of the refugees struggle of assimilation. Like many of these people, displaced to a foreign land that doesn't seem to make sense, the wild west within a swedish forest is a very visual comparison for their predicament.
High Chaparral is very helpful when it comes to setting up this strange scenario for the viewer. At the start of the civil war, Sweden was the first country to announce that it will grant asylum to all Syrians who apply there. Since that announcement, asylum has been granted to 163,000 refugees. With an obvious problem of logistics, third generation owner of High Chaparral Emil Erlandsson contacted his government and said he could help. Thus, with 600 beds free at the park from September to May, the wild west refugee camp