The Shelter

A cold, patient, quietly devastating watch that traps you in the nightly wait for a bed, making bureaucratic triage feel like a moral knife-edge.

Directed by

Fernand Melgar

Genres

Documentary

Overview

It is winter at an emergency shelter for the homeless in Lausanne. Every night at the door of this little-known basement facility the same entry ritual takes place, resulting in confrontations which can sometimes turn violent. Those on duty at the shelter have the difficult task of “triaging the poor”: the women and children first, then the men. Although the total capacity at the shelter is 100, only 50 “chosen ones” will be admitted inside and granted a warm meal and a bed. The others know it will be a long night.

How it feels

Bleak, tense, melancholic and earnest. Slow-burning and demanding.

About

Isolation, survival, immigration, class

Content

Mild violence and language. No gore or sexual content.

Note

Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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Watch the trailer on YouTube (opens in a new tab)