Out of Sight review – mountain idyll in the Austrian uplands is a gilded cage for distressed asylum seekers

Young men share their heartbreaking experiences of an Alpine ‘deportation camp’ in Lisa Polster’s impactful, gentle documentary Located in the Austrian Tyrol, the Bürglkopf mountain is a picture-perfect Alpine landscape, with its verdant fields and scenic trails.

The tranquil idyll is a popular holiday spot, with thousands of tourists each year. Some visitors, however, are less welcome than others.

Nestled among the lush forest on the mountaintop is a so-called deportation camp, where asylum seekers are held for months, even years.

In Lisa Polster’s impactful documentary, one of our first glimpses of the facility and its surroundings is through the window of a moving car.

The tightly composed shot suggests the secrecy that enshrouds this place, described by its inhabitants as a prison rather than a shelter.

Through interviews with current residents, Polster’s film weaves a sobering tapestry of experiences – in spite of the centre’s resistance to the documentary project.

Many asylum seekers speak of poor living conditions, lack of access to legal support, and the impossibility of social integration due to the camp’s remote location. Their legal limbo, caused by excessive delays in a

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  Out of Sight review – mountain idyll in the Austrian uplands is a gilded cage for distressed asylum seekers