The Other Side of Hope Reviews

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was directed by Aki Kaurismäki, I was quite eager to check it out. Well, it had been a while since I have seen a movie from this director, probably almost 10 years, but within a few mins, I immediately recognised his work. Indeed, Kaurismäki has a unique visual style, all his movies have the same dreary mood, as if Finland must be the most depressing country in the world and, of course, there is his deadpan humor, probably his most famous trademark. This time, his movie was focusing on the immigration crisis. Sure, you could say that his previous movie 'Le Havre' was also dealing with this topic but, in this case, you could see how it was handled in Finland which was quite interesting. Basically, like most countries such as France and Netherlands where I lived for a very long time, in Finland, they have apparently also no clue how to handle this issue. In their case, it seems that they have some super strict rules which are both ridiculous and inhuman. Fortunately, in Kaurismäki's fictional world, even though his characters might all seem to be pathetic, they also seem to have a good heart after all and, on their level, they try to help as much as they can. It's important to note that Sherwan Haji who played the Syrian immigrant was really good here and completely fit in Kaurismäki's deadpan style. To be honest, I'm not sure if mixing up this tale about an old Finnish guy buying a seemingly hopeless restaurant with the heartbreaking survival of a Syrian refugee really worked so well together, most of the time, it felt like watching two different movies at the same time. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, it was still a decent watch and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Aki Kaurismäki's work.

The syrian guy is so kaurismakian, so determined when makes his eruption from the black coal an ed then takes a shower, so obsesive and serene in spite of his harsh exile of survival refugee.