The Other Side of Hope (2017)

A poker-playing restaurateur and former traveling salesman befriends a group of refugees newly arrived to Finland.

Director:

Aki Kaurismäki

Writer:

Aki Kaurismäki

Stars:

Ville Virtanen, Dome Karukoski, Kati Outinen

8 wins & 18 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Ville Virtanen	...	Oikeussalin viranomainen
Dome Karukoski	...	Huligaani bussipysäkillä
Kati Outinen	...	Vaatekaupan omistaja
Tommi Korpela	...	Melartin
Tommi Eronen	...	Huligaani bussipysäkillä
Taneli Mäkelä	...	Myyjä
Sakari Kuosmanen	...	Waldemar Wikström
Milka Ahlroth	...	Migrin haastattelija
Antti Virmavirta	...	Poliisi asemalla
Matti Onnismaa	...	Kylmäsilmäinen mies
Hannu-Pekka Björkman	...	Pokerinpelaaja
Timo Torikka	...	Poliisi asemalla
Mirja Oksanen	...	Oikeussalin viranomainen
Elias Westerberg	...	Winston
Jörn Donner	...	Pokerinpelaaja

Storyline

Khaled, syrian refugee stows away on a freighter to Helsinki. Meanwhile, Wikström is a traveling salesman who wins big at a poker table and buys himself a restaurant with the proceeds. When the authorities turn down his application for asylum, Khaled is forced underground and Wikström finds him sleeping in the yard behind his restaurant. He offers him a job and a roof over his head and, for a while, they form a Utopian union with the restaurant's waitress, the chef and his dog.

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Plot Keywords:

brother sister relationship | police officer | skinhead | racism | racist | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook [UK] Official site [Germany]

Country:

Finland Germany

Language:

Finnish English Arabic Swedish Japanese

Release Date:

3 February 2017 (Finland)

Also Known As:

The Other Side of Hope

Filming Locations:

Helsinki, Finland

Box Office

Budget:

EUR1,600,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$15,495, 3 December 2017

Gross USA:

$183,943

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,282,973

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sputnik, Oy Bufo Ab, Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The actors playing Khaled and his sister, Miriam are real-life siblings.

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Quotes

Khaled: I don't understand humour.

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Connections

Referenced in KVIFF Guide: Episode #1.9 (2017)

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Soundtracks

Tämä maa
Written by Timo Kiiskinen, Tommi Viksten
Lyrics by Timo Kiiskinen
Performed by Harri Marstio and Antero Jakoila

User Reviews

Hope for cinema

The Other Side of Hope tackles a timely matter, the refugee crisis in Europe in the wake of the ISIL wars, with a wry and deadpan sense of humour, resulting in a product with a lot of personality and colour. It's a Finnish film that received international attention but doesn't present the Finns themselves in a totally positive light- but then, we know the Finns haven't been the only ones to show a complete lack of humanity and empathy towards those who've suffered so much.

The film boasts a number of memorable characters, particularly Waldemar Wikström, who purchases a restaurant called The Golden Pint while looking for a new line of work after a separation. A profitable business, he is told, because people drink when times are bad, and more when times are good. He finds himself leading a staff of three Finns, then a dog, and finally Khaled, a Syrian refugee only looking for his sister. Wikström brings Khaled in after the courts decide, rather dubiously, that there is no war in Aleppo.

The Other Side of Hope isn't naive in imagining a harmonious outcome for everyone. It brings us a vision of hardships that nevertheless, with its humour and hope, inspires, and brings a smile to the face.