Naima review – triumphant note of hope fuels engrossing insight into the immigrant experience

Documentary about a Venezuelan migrant’s struggles in Switzerland is a timeworn tale of marginalisation and financial precarity

Naima, the charismatic subject of Anna Thommen’s engrossing documentary, and is always on the move. The film opens with her taking a deep plunge into a bright blue swimming pool, an image that embodies her struggles as a Venezuelan migrant in Switzerland. Naima dives deep into life goals with a fierce passion, yet she often finds herself buffeted by currents.

Sixteen years ago, she had moved to the country for love, only to be mistreated by her Swiss husband. Since her diploma was not recognised in Switzerland, she went from managing a team of 48 to being wholly dependent on her partner. Then, left in a financially precarious position after her divorce, she subsequently lost custody of her two children.