Journey of Hope (1990)

The story of a poor Turkish family who try to emigrate illegally to Switzerland.

Director:

Xavier Koller

Writers:

Xavier Koller, Feride Çiçekoglu

Stars:

Necmettin Çobanoglu, Nur Sürer, Emin Sivas

Won 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Necmettin Çobanoglu	...	Haydar Sener
Nur Sürer	...	Meryem
Emin Sivas	...	Mehmet Ali
Erdinç Akbas	...	Adama
Yaman Okay	...	Türkmen
Yasar Güner	...	Haci Baba (as Yasar Gner)
Hüseyin Mete	...	Selçuk
Yaman Tarcan	...	Ilyas
Selahattin Firat	...	Grandfather
Meryem Çaki	...	Grandmother
Mustafa	...	Children
Mehmet	...	Children
Fatma	...	Children
Sükran	...	Children
Zeynep	...	Children

Storyline

In a village in eastern Turkey, tales of the economic success of Turks in Switzerland inspire Haydar to convince his wife Meryem that they must go. He sells their livestock and small plot of land in exchange for passage for two. He wants to leave their seven children in the care of the eldest and his parents; his father advises him to take one son to be educated in Europe, as economic insurance. The three set off for Istanbul, Milan, and Switzerland, stowing away on a ship. At Lake Como, they pay the rest of their money to unprincipled men who abandon them at an Alpine pass before a blizzard. Father and son are separated from Meryem. Will anyone reach the land of promise?

---

Plot Keywords:

switzerland | lake como | smuggling | immigrant | illegal immigrant | 

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Switzerland's official submission to the 1991's Oscar for the Best Foreign Language Film category.

---

Quotes

[To the Swiss truck driver]
Haydar Sener: I would have liked to become your friend.

---

Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Mortal Thoughts/Impromptu/Out for Justice/Journey of Hope (1991)

User Reviews

A slow moving drama about hope and despair.

"Journey of Hope" tells of a poor Turkish family and their odyssey of hope which spirals downward into despair as they travel to Switzerland in search of prosperity. Although this Oscar winning film is fairly well crafted, it is lacking in substance and has many implausibilities. Much of the film's 1.7 hour run time is get on the bus, get off the bus, get on the boat, get off the boat, get in the van, get out of the van, etc.; time which could have been better spent or left out completely. The story has a predictable conclusion, especially for those who have an awareness of the common crime of trafficking in illegal immigrants. A worthwhile and reasonably entertaining watch but over-rated.

Details

Official Sites:

Director's official site Official site

Country:

Switzerland Turkey UK France

Language:

Turkish Swiss German Italian

Release Date:

26 April 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Journey of Hope

Filming Locations:

Kahramanmaras, Turkey

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$12,489, 28 April 1991

Gross USA:

$261,718

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$261,718

Company Credits

Production Co:

Antea Cinematografica, Catpics, Cinerent Filmequipment Service AG

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1