Could E.T. Happen in Real Life?

The movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial captures the imagination with the naive and hopeful story of a young boy's friendship with a lost alien. But could a real-life scenario like the one depicted in the movie actually happen?

The Real E.T.

It turns out that a similar story, albeit far more grounded in our earthly experiences, did indeed happen in real life. Meet Mehran Karimi Nasseri, an individual whose extraordinary journey at Charles de Gaulle Airport bears a striking resemblance to the fantasy world spun by Steven Spielberg in E.T.

As the story goes, Mr. Nasseri was allegedly expelled from his home in Iran in 1977 for protesting against the Shah. His path to finding a home led him through a series of international applications, and finally, he was granted refugee status by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Belgium.

A Precarious Stay at Charles de Gaulle Airport

Unfortunately, Mr. Nasseri's papers were lost in 1988 when his briefcase was stolen while he was en route to the United Kingdom. Failing to present a passport to British immigration officials, he was first arrested in France but then released due to his legal status as an airport entrant. Without a country of origin to be deported back to, his situation became increasingly complex, and his residence at Terminal 1 lasted from August 26th, 1988, until July 2006.

Unraveling the Legal Quagmire

The year 1992 marked a significant turning point for Mr. Nasseri. A French court ruled that he could not be expelled from the airport as he had entered legally, but because he lacked valid travel papers, he could not be granted permission to enter France. Further complicating matters, as a recognized refugee from Iran, he lacked a country to be deported to. However, because he had never technically entered France, deportation was not a legal option either.

Further attempts to secure documents from Belgium, where the UNHCR had initially classified him as a refugee, faced another roadblock. Under Belgian law, a refugee who voluntarily leaves a country cannot return, making it impossible for Nasseri to complete the process.

A Fateful Decision

By 1995, Belgian authorities had agreed to let Nasseri return to Belgium under the condition that he live there under the supervision of a social worker. However, Nasseri refused this offer, maintaining his desire to return to the UK as originally intended. This determination kept him in the high-security Bubble in Terminal 1—a reality that inspired the character of the same name in Steven Spielberg's film The Terminal.

For those interested in the full story of Mehran Karimi Nasseri, you can read about it on the Wikipedia article or in his autobiography, The Terminal Man. This real-life story of perseverance and being trapped in a state of limbo is a compelling narrative in its own right, more real than any movie could ever be.