The Other Side of Hope : Aki Kaurismäki

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On a first impression I thought  Kaurismäki's The Other Side of Hope [ 2017 is movie about wrecked civil war in Syria and it's refugee crisis all over the Europe. Afterwards I got a strange sense of existential experiences not only about Syrian refuse life but also about Finnish life and their shared journey through the film.

It's a bit bizarre to think that Khaled can't believe Syria his home country any more. He can't explain what is his religious belief as he proclaimed to agent in asylum centre that he buried the religion with his family under the graves in Syria and he is not athiest either.  He can't clearly say his gender identity as male, female or other instead he claims himself as just human being to the boy who was making a false ID card.

The khaled part has made a room for rethinking about the idea of home, country, religious belief and gender identity.

On the other side, Wikström, the Finnish businessman has to face same degree of hardship to sustain his restaurant business in his own country. Wheras Khaled embrace Finland as his home, Wikström enbrace foreign cuisines ( Japanese Sushi, costumes and etiquettes) to survive with the livings. 

The Wikström part opens up the acknowledgement of essential diversity in the hunan evolution, no matter to what extant one's things are rich and sufficient. One has to accept the other and make approximate cultural adjustment. Uniqueness and orginality are terms one uses in vain.

The humanistic parts of Kaurismäki's The Other Side of Hope are its kindness, compassion and cooperation with each other regardless of race, religion, gender, political ideology. The asylum staff who helps Khaled to flee before deportation, the restaurant staffs who hide khaled in the toilet during police inspection, the vegabonds who save Khaled's life when so racist rascals assault on night road and the lorry driver who transpotrs Khaled's sister Mariam decepting the seaport guards. 

All the things prove only one thing that every idea, belief and system is build to make human life better. And nothing is above human dignity.

🎬The Other Side of Hope [ 2017]

Finnish: Toivon tuolla puolen

Aki Kaurismäki

Finnish, Finland.

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