I Was a Stranger

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2:23

I Was a Stranger

PG-13

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1h 43m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

74%

Tomatometer

19 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

When a Syrian doctor is forced to flee Aleppo with her young daughter, one desperate choice sets off a chain of events that ripples across borders and pulls four strangers into the same storm. A smuggler trying to save his son. A soldier wrestling with his conscience. A poet searching for home. A Greek coast guard captain caught between duty and mercy. Their paths collide on a night in the Mediterranean, where survival is uncertain, and humanity is revealed in its rawest form.

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Monica Castillo

RogerEbert.com

5d

2/4

Compassion begins at home, and 'I Was a Strange’ seems to have missed that part of the journey.

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Randy Myers

San Jose Mercury News

6d

3.5/4

It’s a suspenseful handwringer that features one of the most nerve-wracking boat-raft passages I’ve ever seen on film. Andersen has also come up with a perfect ending, one that illustrates so much by saying so little.

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Wendy Ide

Screen International

02/28/2024

This is an ambitious and confident first feature, yet it is hampered by a screenplay that is intent on emphasising the most obvious points about the issue rather than offering a new perspective.

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Monique Jones

Common Sense Media

1d

5/5

This drama offers a sobering example of how the people around us have stories that could shake us to our core.

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Sarah Vincent

Sarah G Vincent Views

3d

The good intentions are solid, but the execution still needs work. Fortunately, I grade on a curve. Good start.

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Rick Bentley

KGET-TV (Bakersfield, CA)

5d

B-

As it is, “I Was a Stranger” strikes with a heavy fist and never with the light touch of caring. It is a valiant effort by Andersen that is good but not as great as it should have been.

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3h

Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

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21h

Excellent cast. Beautifully done. Excellent film.

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1d

Really entertaining. Has its sad moments but it’s earned. Definitely worth a watch

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1d

Good movie, pulls on your heart strings.

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1d

Loved the way the movie showed the different viewpoints for each character. The only thing I didn’t like is having to read it because it was in a different language.

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2d

One of the deepest movies I've seen in recent memory. They hit every emotion from fear, anxiety, happiness, sadness, anger, and everything in-between. Amazing work.

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Brandt Andersen

Director

Yasmine Al Massri

Amira

Yahya Mahayni

Mustafa

Omar Sy

Marwan

Ziad Bakri

Fathi

Constantine Markoulakis

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I Was a Stranger: Trailer 2

2:23

I Was a Stranger: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

When a Syrian doctor is forced to flee Aleppo with her young daughter, one desperate choice sets off a chain of events that ripples across borders and pulls four strangers into the same storm. A smuggler trying to save his son. A soldier wrestling with his conscience. A poet searching for home. A Greek coast guard captain caught between duty and mercy. Their paths collide on a night in the Mediterranean, where survival is uncertain, and humanity is revealed in its rawest form.

Director: Brandt Andersen
Producer: Brandt Andersen, Ossama Bawardi, Ryan Busse, Charlie Endean
Screenwriter: Brandt Andersen
Distributor: Angel Studios
Production Co: Philistine Films
Rating: PG-13 (Strong Violent Content|A Racial Slur|Smoking|Bloody Images|Thematic Material)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Arabic
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 9, 2026, Wide
Runtime: 1h 43m

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