Documentary tells harrowing story of Syrian teens accused of migrant smuggling

Seventeen-year-old Alsaleh is on the phone with his mom, asking for news from home. It's not good: Kobani is being turned to rubble, the situation is out of control. Her pain, though, stems from something entirely different. "How long will you be in for, son?" she asks again. "Don't worry about me. The trial will start any day now. Let's have faith," he answers.

I don't know how else to describe Marianna Economou's documentary "The Longest Run" but a punch to the stomach. The filmmaker has succeeded in making a thriller with real-life characters while crafting an excellent reportage, as she turns her lens on another drama unfolding within that of the refugee crisis, in Greece's juvenile detention centers. This is where dozens of refugee and migrant minors accused of people smuggling face prison sentences that may come to as long as 30 years. They are children and teenagers...