The Boundary is now available in full via Hulu. (Note: most videos on Hulu are only available to U.S. viewers.) The video and more information are posted here.

I'm glad I finally got to see this. It's a powerful performance from Sid. The confusion and barely controlled rage are palpable.

What a wonderful surprise to click on SidCity and find a link to "The Boundary" posted here!
Thanks, Mel. It's my first time watching it, too.

--spoilers--
After Sid's character and his wife and daughter are released, the daughter asks if they're going home now. How can they just go back to their normal lives after an experience like that? How can they ever feel at home again in a country that mistreated them this way? Did you see how Sid's hands were shaking? That showed how badly the trauma affected him. And you don't know if he'll ever get over it. The poor wife was so terrified it made her physically ill. And the little girl seeing her daddy being roughed up like that, what effect is that going to have? Maybe the government will offer some kind of compensation, but it's not going to make up for what they went through. And you can't even hate the border guards for doing that to them. Really, the border guards seemed like decent guys, just doing their job as best they could, trying to protect us from terrorists. But it's awful when mistakes are made and inncocent people get hurt. This film helped me understand better what it must be like for good people, citizens of western countries, who are of Arab background. Sid has talked about it, the difficulty he has getting through airports and stuff. He smiles and makes jokes, but really it must be very hard for him. I think "The Boundary" is an important film. For such a little movie, it packs a big punch. I wish everyone could watch it.

Peridot

Wow, Mel! Thanks for finding this and posting it! I agree, that was a great surprise!

Peridot, I agree with your spoiler comments. I can't shake the image of Sid's face when he saw his daughter... or the main guard's when he realized that this man was innocent. I give Sid major credit for having such a good attitude about the trouble he gets. If it were me, I certianly wouldn't share his good humor!

This is another little Sid gem!

That was painful. First because although I let it load, it still stopped every minute or so when I watched it, which was very annoying. Secondy, well if you watched it you know. Thirdly, after all these years of following Sid's career and such I feel like I know the guy, more than say Brad Pitt (who I can't stand). I'm sure all of you can identify with me here.

This one just blew me away. Amazing. That's all there is to say. Sid has left me speechless. (and for me, that's something!)

Fingers crossed that this movie will get a wider release online in the near future.

It sounds like a profound piece of work.

Best Wishes.

Jude.

I just figured out this spoiler thing.


I felt sick at the end there when they knocked him to the ground and he was coughing. And I agree with you, Peridot, how can they call it 'home' after something like that? When you've been violated in such a way, you don't feel safe. It's like being stalked. You're constantly looking over your shoulder, wondering if the guy looking at you funny is wondering if you're a terrorist or if it's just your imagination.

I just read the other day in Yahoo that a woman, formerly from Canada but married to an American, constantly has to go through that because she has the same last name and birthday as some man from Georgia who's always getting into trouble. Because the woman has family still in Canada, she still visits Canada. It's when she comes back to the States is when the alarm goes off on her.

Yeah, it's amazing how much that does happen. When we went to England, my friends who are were born in Israel have triple citizenships: Israel, U.S. and England, but British passports. Apparently, that looked suspicious to the British authorities (even though my friends look like anything but terrorists- they are twins, one male, one female and are both small and petite) because they detained us for awhile when we were trying to go home. They couldn't figure out why the two of them had so many citizenships and a British passport. They had no problem letting them in country, but didn't want them to leave! Finally, I guess they just gave up. Then, the girl was hand searched by the agents and they went through her carryon bag, but the rest of us went through fine.

When the exercise of our rights starts infringing on another's, then it's time to do some re-evaluating.

You just feel so bad for Sid's character and how he was treated, when you see his shaky hand, you just want to give him a big hug

Or is that just me?

Of course! After an ordeal like that, who wouldn't need a hug? I actually was inspired to write a story after that where a man is questioned and instead of people just walking by someone steps up to help.

I know what you mean; he conveys the characters emotions so well with that one simple gesture. Simply his facial expression and shaking hands showed so much more about the character's emotional state than some long winded rant ever could have.

I remember travelling with my father out to Seattle not too long after 911 and I guess I was just one of the unlucky ones that got randomly chosen for detailed screening at the airport because I had to get patted down and personally searched and had all of my things checked in detail while I was pulled aside for more questioning. That was stressful enough without my having to worry about the security guards perhaps being prejudiced about my ethnic background. I can't even imagine how hard an experience it would have been to go through something like Sid's character did. Seeing things like that make me worry about the state of freedom in our world today. As others have said, at what point do the rights and freedoms of the individual need to be protected above the security of the group. If we let our leaders continue to strip away more of our rights and freedoms for the sake of security, eventually we will have no freedom left to protect. I think more people need to see this short film in order to remind them not to take their freedoms for granted and to stand up for others, as I can definitely see things like what happened in the movie happening to real people. anyway, end rant. I thought it was a great short film, it told a very good story in a short period of time but didn't feel to rushed or like it was trying to do too much.

Just been trying to play the Hulu video of The Boundary to no effect (will not play outside USA). Has anybody got any links to a version I can watch in the UK. It is one of the few projects of Siddig's I have not been able to watch and it is so frustrating.

Best Wishes.

Jude

Oh yes please! I'd like to see this too.