Events in Stateless take place during the politically charged climate of the late 1980’s. At that time the USSR was home to the largest population of Jews in Europe. Under pressure from various political sources, including that of U.S. Jewry, the Soviet government opened the borders and allowed its Jewish population to leave the country. This time the migrants would have the freedom to choose their destination, but those who hoped to make the United States their home now had to prove “a reasonable fear of p
The narrative in the film is unfolded through first hand accounts by emigres themselves. It starts by explaining the agonizing weight of the decision to leave, highlighted by stories of discrimination both subtle and overt, and the possible social repercussions of this choice. Even in the time of “Perestroika,” such a leap of faith meant a forfeit of citizenship and all personal property, and in the case of refusal, still carried with it social and career suicide. Despite this, in a matter of months, thousa
Vienna, was the first stopping point on the immigration journey, as part of the infamous Vienna-Rome pipeline used in previous migrations. Stateless provides the viewer with a unique glimpse of it through the eyes of those seeing the Western world for the first time. A deeply emotional resonance from people who have only experienced the West through the filter of communist propaganda. For many this is a bittersweet validation of their decision to leave. US bound families moved on to Italy, the next stop in