CAIRO – 15 September 2017: Director Aki Kaurismäki’s Finnish comedy/drama “The Other Side of Hope” (Toivon tuolla puolen) is a dryly humorous and poignant examination of Europe’s refugee crisis.
Poster via IMDB
Here, the film follows a Syrian refugee named Khaled (Sherwan Haji), who accidentally finds himself in Finland after escaping from his war-torn country by boarding a cargo ship. He hands himself in as an illegal immigrant, where the film reveals the official’s downright racist treatment of Khaled as he’s ruthlessly interrogated on his journey.
A second plot involves a traveling salesman named Wikström (Sakari Kuosmanen), who finds his life beginning to fall apart around him after his wife leaves, and he’s left with nothing but his possessions in a garage. He has his dreams of becoming a restaurant owner, which leads to an incident in a Casino that causes Wikström’s story to intertwine with Khaled.
The two find a connection and begin to help each other manage through their problems. At the heart of the film’s comedy is a core of empathy for those suffering from the Syrian refugee crisis—and the film is a testament to the strange ways hospitality can be found.
The Other Side of Hope premiered on February 3, 2017, in Finland and has won over eight awards.
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