Young refugees between the ages of 16 and 20 are permitted to go to an integration school in Switzerland for two years. They learn German, find friends, receive help, and learn how to act in job interviews. At the end of their time there they will get a residence permit and a job, if they are lucky. Documentary filmmaker Anna Thommen accompanied an integration class and their teacher Mr. Zingg for two years. What emerged is a sensitive film centering on the daily lives of the refugees and a portrait of an exceptional teacher. Mr.Zingg has his own unique brand of humor and shows a combination of persistence, optimism, and serenity. The students return after their first round of demoralizing job searches and he attempts to cheer them up by telling them a parable of the small soccer team FC Basel who beat Manchester United, encouraging them to think that though they are at a disadvantage they can still make it. It would seem cliché were anyone but Mr. Zingg saying it but it is clear that he believes in the teens. He can’t help them on his own though. Lightness and heaviness reside side by side in NEULAND. In class, each student presents their journey to Switzerland on a map. Eschnullah from Afghanistan travelled the longest, it took him over a year till he arrived in Switzerland. In the next scene his asylum application is rejected. The teens are learning how to write a resume during another lesson. Tugce writes his teen cornerstones on the board, “starting to do sports,” “stopping sports,” “alcohol, cigarettes.” The Albanian Nazlije is up next. She writes “war begins,” “mother dies,” “new chapter Switzerland.”

Hendrike Bake

Translation: Elinor Lewy