Synopsis
The Other Side of Hope (Toivon tuolla puolen, 2017) is a Finnish-German deadpan drama from director Aki Kaurismäki — watch it online on iFILM. Sherwan Haji and Sakari Kuosmanen lead the cast. The film took the Silver Bear for Best Director at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Khaled, a Syrian refugee, surfaces in Helsinki after crossing half of Europe hidden in a coal barge. His asylum request is denied. On the same night across town, former traveling salesman Wikström wins enough at poker to buy a failing restaurant. Their paths cross almost by accident, and Wikström — a man not given to sentiment — quietly decides to help. Khaled's search for his sister, separated somewhere in the chaos of displacement, runs beneath everything.
Kaurismäki's tempo is deliberate, his dialogue sparse, his humor bone-dry. The film treats its subject — refuge, bureaucracy, accidental solidarity — with more dignity than most social dramas manage. Stream The Other Side of Hope (2017) online on iFILM.
Starring
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