Someone Like Me (Documentary)

This Canadian documentary is about a Gay Asylum Seeker’s Struggle for Freedom and Survival. But more than that it is also about the group of these people who come together to help and support this man to settle down in a new city and new country. When 11 strangers from Vancouver’s LGBTQ+ come together to sponsor a queer refugee from Uganda fleeing persecution, they have nothing but the best of intentions. Together, they embark on a year-long quest for personal freedom, revealing how in a world where one must constantly fight for the right to exist, survival itself becomes a victory. What we see here is how it all plays out eventually.

Canada is the only country that has a refugee program aimed specifically at LGBTQ persons facing persecution in their home country. The Vancouver-based non-profit Refugee Rainbow privately sponsors refugees under this program. For a new such refugee, a group of 11 people come together to form a 'circle' who will help support the refugee for one year after they land in Canada. Most do realize that they are being thrown into a situation with a stranger - the refugee chosen - who they in the end may not like, and who in turn may not like them. Their time with Drake, the twenty-two year old refugee they choose from Uganda, is shown. Although their motivations may be pure, cracks begin to appear when the realities of what they have signed up for set in. There is also the added pressure of individual expectation, which threatens to burst their collective balloon of optimism. Problems start when Drake begins to show difficulty in settling in Canada. He does not have a job, he does not know anyone, and above all things he was forced to leave his home behind; it was never his original plan. Despite the difficulties, Drake had a life before Canada. On top of that, in Canada, he may feel safe to be out as a gay man, but he suffers from racism, something that he didn’t have to face back home. As Drake makes progress settling in the new environment, Covid strikes and it brings in new challenges with this refugee sponsorship program.

The burdens on both the sponsors and Drake are palpable, thankfully the documentary also touches on the positives as well. It is heartwarming to observe the genuine friendships that develop between Drake and certain sponsors. One gets the sense that regardless of the hurdles Drake will no doubt continue to jump, he will no longer have to do it alone. One of the problem with this doc is that it tries to focus on more things than it should have. I am not sure why we needed to also follow story of a trans man's top surgery for example. Also it doesn't really clearly show what eventually happened with Drake. The problem is that it is easier for us, as the audience, to fill the blanks and get the bigger picture of the support group’s narrative because it tends to be closer to our own; for one needs to be in Drake’s shoes to understand him, and not many have had the luck to escape what he and others escaped from. Still, At its heart, the film is a clear-eyed and deeply compassionate portrait of the fundamental Canadian-ness of the people involved for good or for bad, but mostly for good. Often, it’s hard not to be overwhelmed by the kindness, generosity and patience demonstrated by Drake’s core group of supporters. (6/10)