The Other Side of Hope (Aki Kaurismäki)

[Grouchy]

[Grouchy]

I don't religiously follow every Kaurismäki film but still, I feel like this is one of the best. It finds a nice balance between his pure tragedy films and his wackier comedy output by telling two separate stories that ultimately become closely bound together. The most depressing scenes have to do with Khalled, a widowed Syrian expatriate seeking amnisty in Finland, and the funnier material with Wikström, a clothes salesman who undergoes a radical shift in his life when he divorces, sells his business and attempts to open a trendy restaurant. These attempts to find a niche for the restaurant are some of the funniest shit Aki has ever filmed, including a sight gag that has nothing to envy from Buster Keaton. On the other side of the film, the inmigration stuff is handled with assurance - it's a message movie at heart - but it never feels fake or preachy and the actor who plays Khalled does an impressive job of conveying a lot of emotion with very little gesturing.

[Philip J. Fry]

[Peng]

Amidst the deadpan and formal exactitude, an overflowing stream of altruistic warmth and humane little moments, like a customer lightly tapping his foot during a band's song, or a fist fight cutting instantly from two jabs to a hopeful opportunity. Watching it feels like being bathed in its warm glow. 8/10