The Other Side of Hope Movie (2017): Where to watch and stream online

The Other Side of Hope

2017, Movie, 1h 41min

This wry, melancholic comedy from Aki Kaurismäki, a response to the ongoing global refugee crisis, follows two people searching for a place to call home. Khaled (Sherwan Haji), a displaced Syrian, lands in Helsinki as a stowaway; meanwhile, middle-aged Finnish salesman Wikström (Sakari Kuosmanen) leaves his wife and his job and buys a conspicuously unprofitable restaurant. Khaled is denied asylum but decides not to return to Aleppo, and the paths of the two men cross fortuitously. As deadpan as the best of the director's work, and with a deep well of empathy for its down-but-not-out characters (many of them played by members of Kaurismäki's loyal stock company), THE OTHER SIDE OF HOPE is a bittersweet celebration of pockets of human kindness in an unwelcoming world.

"The Other Side of Hope" — comedy and drama movie produced in Germany and Finland and released in 2017. It has a great rating on IMDb: 7.2 stars out of 10. It is a feature-length film with a runtime of 1h 41min. "The Other Side of Hope" is currently available to stream on The Criterion Channel and for rent and to buy on Amazon Store and Fandango at Home. Click on a playlink to watch it now!

Country: Germany,Finland

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Reviews

Critic Marjorie Baumgarten

rated

...this being an Aki Kaurismäki movie means that it is a droll tale told with an economy of means, a minimum of dialogue and camera movement, an abundance of rockabilly music, and a bittersweet affirmation of life.

Read full review at The Austin Chronicle

Critic Phil De Semlyen

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...'Kaurismäki’s' wit and humanism carve out a special if rarely heralded niche for his films. This one will linger longer than most.

Read full review at Empire

Critic David Jenkins

rated

This might just be the most drolly poetic response to what has been dubbed the ‘refugee crisis’ by journalists and political wags, and it comes as little surprise that Finland’s sardonic sage, Aki Kaurismäki, is the man behind the tiller.

Read full review at Little White Lies

Critic Ryan Gilbey

rated

...devilishly funny, economically constructed (...) and decked out in the director’s dismal palette of cobalt blue, moss green and burnt-marmalade orange.

Read full review at The Guardian

Critic Simran Hans

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...Kaurismäki’s wry comedy is a timely critique of an intolerant Europe, and a winking cheer to those who offer a handshake of solidarity to their new neighbours.

Read full review at The Guardian

Critic Tim Robey

rated

gorgeous and cuttingly poignant comedy...

Read full review at The Telegraph

Frequently asked questions

What is The Other Side of Hope about? Toggle content

In the bustling city of Helsinki, two strangers' paths cross, changing their lives forever. Khaled, a young Syrian refugee, has arrived in Finland seeking asylum. Wikström, a middle-aged man tired of his mundane life, has left his wife and job to open a restaurant. Despite their vastly different backgrounds, they form an unlikely bond when Wikström offers Khaled refuge and a job at his restaurant. As they work together to turn the restaurant into a success, they discover unexpected hope and a new sense of purpose in each other's company. But as obstacles arise, will their friendship be enough to overcome the challenges they face?

Where can I stream The Other Side of Hope? Toggle content

You can stream The Other Side of Hope on: The Criterion Channel Amazon Store Fandango at Home