Brothers Aki and Mika Kaurismäki are probably Finland's most famous directors. I haven't seen all their movies, but I understand that many of them depict the country as a dismal place. They're friends with Jim Jarmusch, and the Helsinki segment of his "Night on Earth" starred cast members from their movies.
Which brings us to "Toivon tuolla puolen" ("The Other Side of Hope" in English). This one focuses on the refugees from the Arab world who have tried to make their way to Europe over the past decade. In this case, the refugee is a man from Syria. His description of what happened to his house makes one thing clear: whether the perpetrators were government forces, ISIS, US warplanes or Russian warplanes, the result was the same for the people on the ground. On top of it, Finnish authorities conclude that he has no authentic reason to seek asylum in Finland, but then he watches on the news as more horror comes to Syria.
Like many Scandinavian movies, this one is understated: characters will communicate with each other merely by looking at each other (even the gambler who befriends the refugee). There's nothing stimulating here; it's all about the interpersonal relationships. An unusual aspect gets added with musicians playing the blues.
Overall, this is one that I recommend. Focusing on a variety of issues, it's bound to make the viewer think hard about what's going on in the world, and how it affects each individual. Good one.
Which brings us to "Toivon tuolla puolen" ("The Other Side of Hope" in English). This one focuses on the refugees from the Arab world who have tried to make their way to Europe over the past decade. In this case, the refugee is a man from Syria. His description of what happened to his house makes one thing clear: whether the perpetrators were government forces, ISIS, US warplanes or Russian warplanes, the result was the same for the people on the ground. On top of it, Finnish authorities conclude that he has no authentic reason to seek asylum in Finland, but then he watches on the news as more horror comes to Syria.
Like many Scandinavian movies, this one is understated: characters will communicate with each other merely by looking at each other (even the gambler who befriends the refugee). There's nothing stimulating here; it's all about the interpersonal relationships. An unusual aspect gets added with musicians playing the blues.
Overall, this is one that I recommend. Focusing on a variety of issues, it's bound to make the viewer think hard about what's going on in the world, and how it affects each individual. Good one.