Aki Kaurismäki's Fallen Leaves is screening exclusively on Mubi in many countries.Fallen Leaves.There’s a moment early in Aki Kaurismäki’s latest film, Fallen Leaves (2023), that will surely tug at the heartstrings of shy lovers everywhere. A man, Holappa (played by Jussi Vatanen), and a woman, Ansa (Alma Pöysti), sit across from each other in a bar. Between them, his friend tries vainly to flirt with hers, getting nowhere, but Holappa and Ansa themselves do not speak, and instead merely stare meekly into their drinks, the gap of a few meters opening up like a yawning chasm. Then, for just a moment, Holappa looks up from his beer and their eyes meet. And as they do, the first cascading piano chords of Franz Schubert’s “Serenade” are heard and a besuited man takes the karaoke stage to start singing: “Softly my songs plead / through the night for...
- 2/4/2024
- MUBI
Finnish actors Alma Pöysti and Jussi Vatanen have been making names for each other for a while now. But playing leads in Aki Kaurismäki’s latest film, “Fallen Leaves,” was a whole different story.
“He has always been that household name, even when I was growing up on a farm in the 1980s, kicking a ball against our cowhouse. It’s crazy that now, we are here together. Also, he is really just a regular guy. Funny and he actually talks a lot,” Vatanen tells Variety in Cannes.
A household name himself thanks to the “Lapland Odyssey” franchise, he has been exploring dramatic roles in “Forest Giant” or “The Man Who Died.”
“As a Finn, you are very, very familiar with his style. We have seen all his movies and it’s just in our blood, I guess. I actually thought that [entering this universe] was quite easy.”
Pöysti, celebrated for her turn...
“He has always been that household name, even when I was growing up on a farm in the 1980s, kicking a ball against our cowhouse. It’s crazy that now, we are here together. Also, he is really just a regular guy. Funny and he actually talks a lot,” Vatanen tells Variety in Cannes.
A household name himself thanks to the “Lapland Odyssey” franchise, he has been exploring dramatic roles in “Forest Giant” or “The Man Who Died.”
“As a Finn, you are very, very familiar with his style. We have seen all his movies and it’s just in our blood, I guess. I actually thought that [entering this universe] was quite easy.”
Pöysti, celebrated for her turn...
- 5/23/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
The Rome Film Festival (October 17-27) has unveiled its 2019 official selection, which includes Downton Abbey, Waves, Judy, The Aeronauts, Hustlers and Werner Herzog documentary Nomad[/link] about writer Bruce Chatwin.
A total of 33 films and documentaries will play in the official lineup (full list below). As previously announced, the fest will open with Edward Norton’s Motherless Brooklyn while Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman will have a centerpiece screening. Only two Italian movies are included in the main selection.
The festival also revealed a pre-opening October 16 world premiere for John Turturro’s anticipated The Big Lebowski spinoff, The Jesus Rolls, which follows Lebowski character Jesus Quintana.
The impressive lineup of onstage interviews includes Bill Murray and Viola Davis – both of whom will receive lifetime achievement awards – Fanny Ardant, Olivier Assayas, Ethan Coen, Benicio Del Toro, Bret Easton Ellis, Ron Howard, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Edward Norton, Bertrand Tavernier, John Travolta and Jia Zhangke.
A total of 33 films and documentaries will play in the official lineup (full list below). As previously announced, the fest will open with Edward Norton’s Motherless Brooklyn while Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman will have a centerpiece screening. Only two Italian movies are included in the main selection.
The festival also revealed a pre-opening October 16 world premiere for John Turturro’s anticipated The Big Lebowski spinoff, The Jesus Rolls, which follows Lebowski character Jesus Quintana.
The impressive lineup of onstage interviews includes Bill Murray and Viola Davis – both of whom will receive lifetime achievement awards – Fanny Ardant, Olivier Assayas, Ethan Coen, Benicio Del Toro, Bret Easton Ellis, Ron Howard, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Edward Norton, Bertrand Tavernier, John Travolta and Jia Zhangke.
- 10/4/2019
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s time for last orders at Corona, Dubrovnik and Kafe Mockba, as the legendary Helsinki complex, co-owned by Finland’s best known directors, will close down for good in June. After undergoing complete renovation, the building on Eerikinkatu will then be turned into a hotel.
The decision to serve eviction notices to one of Helsinki’s most beloved spots provoked a general outcry. Sadly, it is now final, with Andorra Culture and Entertainment Center – consisting of Corona Bar, Dubrovnik and Kafe Mockba, as well as movie theatre Kino Andorra – shutting down its long-serving doors already in June. “There was nothing to be done” – explains Nuppu Koivu, who has been working there for 17 years. Scoring a part of a waitress in Aki Kaurismäki Berlin Silver Bear-winner “The Other Side of Hope” somewhere along the way. “The owners of the building decided not to renew our contract, there will be a...
The decision to serve eviction notices to one of Helsinki’s most beloved spots provoked a general outcry. Sadly, it is now final, with Andorra Culture and Entertainment Center – consisting of Corona Bar, Dubrovnik and Kafe Mockba, as well as movie theatre Kino Andorra – shutting down its long-serving doors already in June. “There was nothing to be done” – explains Nuppu Koivu, who has been working there for 17 years. Scoring a part of a waitress in Aki Kaurismäki Berlin Silver Bear-winner “The Other Side of Hope” somewhere along the way. “The owners of the building decided not to renew our contract, there will be a...
- 6/6/2019
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit platforms. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
The Endless (Aaron Moorhead & Justin Benson)
To resolve is to settle, finding the determination to do something rather than simply wait for something to happen to you. A resolution isn’t therefore a firm ending. On the contrary, it serves to provide beginnings. That decision has the potential to set you onto a path towards freedom either from the danger of outside forces or the complacency rendering you immobile within.
The Endless (Aaron Moorhead & Justin Benson)
To resolve is to settle, finding the determination to do something rather than simply wait for something to happen to you. A resolution isn’t therefore a firm ending. On the contrary, it serves to provide beginnings. That decision has the potential to set you onto a path towards freedom either from the danger of outside forces or the complacency rendering you immobile within.
- 6/29/2018
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
May is going to be a good month for fans of the Romanian New Wave, as Cristian Mungiu’s two most recent films are both joining the Criterion Collection. “Graduation” and “Beyond the Hills” will be released alongside new additions “Midnight Cowboy,” “The Other Side of Hope,” and “Moonrise”; “Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters” and “Au hasard Balthazar,” which have already been released on DVD, are getting Blu-ray upgrades.
“Au hasard Balthazar”
“A profound masterpiece from one of the most revered filmmakers in the history of cinema, director Robert Bresson’s ‘Au hasard Balthazar’ follows the donkey Balthazar as he is passed from owner to owner, some kind and some cruel but all with motivations outside of his understanding. Balthazar, whose life parallels that of his first keeper, Marie, is truly a beast of burden, suffering the sins of humankind. But despite his powerlessness, he accepts his fate nobly.
“Au hasard Balthazar”
“A profound masterpiece from one of the most revered filmmakers in the history of cinema, director Robert Bresson’s ‘Au hasard Balthazar’ follows the donkey Balthazar as he is passed from owner to owner, some kind and some cruel but all with motivations outside of his understanding. Balthazar, whose life parallels that of his first keeper, Marie, is truly a beast of burden, suffering the sins of humankind. But despite his powerlessness, he accepts his fate nobly.
- 2/16/2018
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Sometimes, the best things in life are worth waiting for. 2017 has seen the return of filmmakers like Lucrecia Martel after 9 years since her previous feature film, and while he may not have made a film as awe-inspiring or formally groundbreaking as the stunning Zama, six years is much too long to wait for yet another winner from director Aki Kaurismaki.
Over half a decade since his brilliant 2011 film Le Havre, Kaurismaki has returned with arguably his most formally inventive and politically driven film to date. Entitled The Other Side Of Hope, the director introduces viewers to the pair of Khaled and Wikstrom, two men who couldn’t have led more different lives. Sherwan Haji stars as Khaled, a man hailing from Aleppo who is seeking asylum in Helsinki. He encounters Sakari Kuosmanen’s Wikstrom, a salesman who goes from leaving his wife to ostensibly winning a restaurant in a card game.
Over half a decade since his brilliant 2011 film Le Havre, Kaurismaki has returned with arguably his most formally inventive and politically driven film to date. Entitled The Other Side Of Hope, the director introduces viewers to the pair of Khaled and Wikstrom, two men who couldn’t have led more different lives. Sherwan Haji stars as Khaled, a man hailing from Aleppo who is seeking asylum in Helsinki. He encounters Sakari Kuosmanen’s Wikstrom, a salesman who goes from leaving his wife to ostensibly winning a restaurant in a card game.
- 12/1/2017
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
‘The Other Side of Hope’ U.S. Trailer: Aki Kaurismäki Brings His Unique Vision to the Refugee Crisis
We’ve seen a number of excellent documentaries capture the European refugee crisis, but when Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki decided to take it on narrative form for his first film since 2011’s Le Havre, we expected his unique vision to deliver something brilliant, and he’s done just that. After premiering at Berlin International Film Festival, The Other Side of Hope will now arrive soon and the first trailer has landed.
Starring Sakari Kuosmanen and Sherwan Haji, the story follows a poker-playing restauranteur and former traveling salesman who befriends a group of refugees newly arrived from Finland. “Hope is as contemporary and vital a film as you’re likely to find in 2017, but it’s also one of the funniest and most classically (not to mention beautifully) cinematic too. Shot on gorgeous 35mm by his enduring cinematographer Timo Salminen, it’s as cleverly detailed, as it is visually stunning and right from the very beginning,...
Starring Sakari Kuosmanen and Sherwan Haji, the story follows a poker-playing restauranteur and former traveling salesman who befriends a group of refugees newly arrived from Finland. “Hope is as contemporary and vital a film as you’re likely to find in 2017, but it’s also one of the funniest and most classically (not to mention beautifully) cinematic too. Shot on gorgeous 35mm by his enduring cinematographer Timo Salminen, it’s as cleverly detailed, as it is visually stunning and right from the very beginning,...
- 11/16/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
"Kale has a very sad story." Janus Films has launched a brand new Us trailer for the upcoming stateside release of Aki Kaurismäki's latest indie gem film, the highly acclaimed The Other Side of Hope. Set in Helsinki, Finland, this film tells the story of two struggling men whose lives intersect in the middle of the city. One story follows a young refugee from Syria who sneaks into Helsinki, the other follows a traveling salesman who buys a small, unprofitable restaurant. The ensemble cast features Sherwan Haji, Sakari Kuosmanen, Janne Hyytiäinen, Ilkka Koivula, Nuppu Koivu, Simon Hussein Al-Bazoon, and Niroz Haji. This has played at festivals all over the world, and is regarded as one of the best international films this year. It's quite a quirky, funky trailer that really captures how unique and intelligent this film is. Here's the official Us trailer (+ poster) for Aki Kaurismäki's The Other Side of Hope,...
- 11/14/2017
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
In a season filled with expensive, noisy blockbusters and over eager Oscar contenders, a new film by the singular, wonderful Aki Kaurismaki is a soothing balm. “The Other Side Of Hope” is coming soon, and it looks like it’ll be a delightfully different treat from the cinematic treadmill.
Sherwan Haji, Sakari Kuosmanen, Janne Hyytiäinen, Nuppu Koivu, Ilkka Koivula, Simon Hussein Al-Bazoon, Kaija Pakarinen, Kati Outinen, Tommi Korpela and Tuomari Nurmio, star in the award winning movie about a Syrian refugee who crosses paths with a restaurant owner in Helsinski, with the typically comical and surreal results we expect from Kaurismaki.
Continue reading ‘The Other Side Of Hope’ Trailer: Aki Kaurismaki Takes On The Refugee Crisis at The Playlist.
Sherwan Haji, Sakari Kuosmanen, Janne Hyytiäinen, Nuppu Koivu, Ilkka Koivula, Simon Hussein Al-Bazoon, Kaija Pakarinen, Kati Outinen, Tommi Korpela and Tuomari Nurmio, star in the award winning movie about a Syrian refugee who crosses paths with a restaurant owner in Helsinski, with the typically comical and surreal results we expect from Kaurismaki.
Continue reading ‘The Other Side Of Hope’ Trailer: Aki Kaurismaki Takes On The Refugee Crisis at The Playlist.
- 11/14/2017
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Lauded Finnish filmmaker Aki Kaurismäki has developed something of a knack for taking timely, seemingly wrenching stories of human drama and turning them into timely, weirdly hilarious stories of human drama. His latest, the Berlinale premiere “The Other Side of Hope” — which earned him the Silver Bear for best director at this year’s festival — continues that same unique concept while also shining a bright light on the Syrian refugee crisis.
The film follows the unexpected friendship between asylum seeker Khaled (Sherwan Haji) and beleaguered traveling salesman Wikström (Sakari Kuosmanen) as the pair come to find each other in Helsinki, two defeated men from very different places who are each struggling to fit into a new world.
Read More:‘The Other Side Of Hope’ Review: Aki Kaurismäki Returns With Another Deadpan Delight — Berlinale 2017
Per the film’s official synopsis, “with hilarious sight gags, poker-faced one liners [the film]…weaves together Kaurismäki’s...
The film follows the unexpected friendship between asylum seeker Khaled (Sherwan Haji) and beleaguered traveling salesman Wikström (Sakari Kuosmanen) as the pair come to find each other in Helsinki, two defeated men from very different places who are each struggling to fit into a new world.
Read More:‘The Other Side Of Hope’ Review: Aki Kaurismäki Returns With Another Deadpan Delight — Berlinale 2017
Per the film’s official synopsis, “with hilarious sight gags, poker-faced one liners [the film]…weaves together Kaurismäki’s...
- 11/14/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
The New York Film Festival kicks off later this week, sending us straight into the second half of a very busy fall festival season. In preparation for the festival, we’ve pinpointed its most exciting offerings, from never-before-seen narratives to insightful new documentaries, and plenty of previously-screened features looking to capitalize on strong word of mouth coming out of fellow tests like Venice, Telluride, and Toronto. In short, there’s plenty to experience in the coming weeks, so consider this your roadmap to the best of the fest.
Read More:Bryan Cranston Enters Oscar Race with New York Film Festival Opener ‘Last Flag Flying’
Ahead, 13 essential titles — from buzzy world premieres to highlights from the 2017 circuit— that we can’t wait to see at this year’s New York Film Festival.
“Arthur Miller: Writer”
Documentaries about family members are always a dubious proposition. Some can also come across as overindulgent exercises,...
Read More:Bryan Cranston Enters Oscar Race with New York Film Festival Opener ‘Last Flag Flying’
Ahead, 13 essential titles — from buzzy world premieres to highlights from the 2017 circuit— that we can’t wait to see at this year’s New York Film Festival.
“Arthur Miller: Writer”
Documentaries about family members are always a dubious proposition. Some can also come across as overindulgent exercises,...
- 9/27/2017
- by Kate Erbland, Eric Kohn, Anne Thompson, David Ehrlich, Chris O'Falt, Jude Dry, Michael Nordine and Steve Greene
- Indiewire
Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold director Griffin Dunne Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
The Spotlight on Documentary programme at the 55th New York Film Festival has a number of high profile authors in the spotlight, including Gay Talese in Josh Koury and Myles Kane's Voyeur. Griffin Dunne's Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold with interviews with Harrison Ford, David Hare, Anna Wintour, Calvin Trillin, and Vanessa Redgrave (her Sea Sorrow is in the festival with Emma Thompson and Ralph Fiennes), and Rebecca Miller's portrait Arthur Miller: Writer (with Tony Kushner and Mike Nichols commenting on her father's career) are two excellent insider depictions. Aki Kaurismäki's The Other Side Of Hope (starring Sherwan Haji, Sakari Kuosmanen) and Chloé Zhao's The Rider, screening in the Main Slate, round out the four early bird highlights.
The Rider is the winner of the <a href="...
The Spotlight on Documentary programme at the 55th New York Film Festival has a number of high profile authors in the spotlight, including Gay Talese in Josh Koury and Myles Kane's Voyeur. Griffin Dunne's Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold with interviews with Harrison Ford, David Hare, Anna Wintour, Calvin Trillin, and Vanessa Redgrave (her Sea Sorrow is in the festival with Emma Thompson and Ralph Fiennes), and Rebecca Miller's portrait Arthur Miller: Writer (with Tony Kushner and Mike Nichols commenting on her father's career) are two excellent insider depictions. Aki Kaurismäki's The Other Side Of Hope (starring Sherwan Haji, Sakari Kuosmanen) and Chloé Zhao's The Rider, screening in the Main Slate, round out the four early bird highlights.
The Rider is the winner of the <a href="...
- 9/24/2017
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
It’s beginning to look a lot like fall festival season. On the heels of announcements from Tiff and Venice, the 55th edition of the New York Film Festival has unveiled its Main Slate, including a number of returning faces, emerging talents, and some of the most anticipated films from the festival circuit this year.
This year’s Main Slate showcases a number of films honored at Cannes including Ruben Östlund’s Palme d’Or–winner “The Square,” Robin Campillo’s “Bpm,” and Agnès Varda & Jr’s “Faces Places.” Other Cannes standouts, including “The Rider” and “The Florida Project,” will also screen at Nyff.
Read MoreTIFF Reveals First Slate of 2017 Titles, Including ‘The Shape of Water,’ ‘Downsizing,’ and ‘Call Me By Your Name’
Elsewhere, Aki Kaurismäki’s Silver Bear–winner “The Other Side of Hope” and Agnieszka Holland’s Alfred Bauer Prize–winner “Spoor” come to Nyff after Berlin bows.
This year’s Main Slate showcases a number of films honored at Cannes including Ruben Östlund’s Palme d’Or–winner “The Square,” Robin Campillo’s “Bpm,” and Agnès Varda & Jr’s “Faces Places.” Other Cannes standouts, including “The Rider” and “The Florida Project,” will also screen at Nyff.
Read MoreTIFF Reveals First Slate of 2017 Titles, Including ‘The Shape of Water,’ ‘Downsizing,’ and ‘Call Me By Your Name’
Elsewhere, Aki Kaurismäki’s Silver Bear–winner “The Other Side of Hope” and Agnieszka Holland’s Alfred Bauer Prize–winner “Spoor” come to Nyff after Berlin bows.
- 8/8/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
"I want to stay here. This is a country with no war." The Match Factory has debuted a new international trailer for Aki Kaurismäki's latest film, The Other Side of Hope, which first premiered at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year. Set in Helsinki, Finland, this film tells the story of two struggling men whose lives intersect in the middle of the city. One story follows a young refugee from Syria who sneaks into Helsinki, the other follows a traveling salesman who buys a small unprofitable restaurant. The cast features Sherwan Haji, Sakari Kuosmanen, Janne Hyytiäinen, Ilkka Koivula, Nuppu Koivu, Simon Hussein Al-Bazoon, and Niroz Haji. If you're familiar with Kaurismäki's films already, then you should know what to expect. This one is a bit more dry and depressing than some of his other films, but it's still worth your time. Here's the new international trailer (+ poster) for...
- 8/1/2017
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
A Syrian asylum seeker finds friendship with a hapless Finnish restaurateur in part two of Aki Kaurismäki’s migrant trilogy
The latest from Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki follows Syrian asylum seeker Khaled (Sherwan Haji) as he attempts to make a new life for himself in Helsinki. Emerging from a coal freighter covered in soot, Khaled maintains that crossing the border was easy, because “nobody wants to see me”.
The second in a loose trilogy that began with his 2011 film Le Havre, 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. One such individual is the cranky but generous Wikström (Sakari Kuosmanen), who wins a poker game and buys a decrepit restaurant (the delightfully rubbish Golden Pint, a single painting of Jimi Hendrix adorning its otherwise bare walls) with his prize money.
The latest from Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki follows Syrian asylum seeker Khaled (Sherwan Haji) as he attempts to make a new life for himself in Helsinki. Emerging from a coal freighter covered in soot, Khaled maintains that crossing the border was easy, because “nobody wants to see me”.
The second in a loose trilogy that began with his 2011 film Le Havre, 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. One such individual is the cranky but generous Wikström (Sakari Kuosmanen), who wins a poker game and buys a decrepit restaurant (the delightfully rubbish Golden Pint, a single painting of Jimi Hendrix adorning its otherwise bare walls) with his prize money.
- 5/28/2017
- by Simran Hans
- The Guardian - Film News
Author: Stefan Pape
Having been one of the most well-received films at the Berlinale earlier this year, Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki returns with The Other Side of Hope, which carries a droll Scandinavian wit, with stilted, endearingly unnatural dialogue. And yet amidst the laughs, of which there are many, comes a profound, pertinent tale surrounding the Syrian refugee crisis.
Sherwan Haji plays Khaled, who hides on a ship, seeking asylum and solace in Finland. Housed temporarily until he learns of the outcome of his trial, and whether he’s legally allowed to remain in Europe – he dreams only of his sister, who he had lost contact with on his route. We then encounter Wikstrom (Sakari Kuosmanen), a restaurateur who leaves his wife and wins a lot of money playing poker, to then open up a new establishment. Initially we aren’t quite sure how both he and Khaled’s lives will intertwine,...
Having been one of the most well-received films at the Berlinale earlier this year, Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki returns with The Other Side of Hope, which carries a droll Scandinavian wit, with stilted, endearingly unnatural dialogue. And yet amidst the laughs, of which there are many, comes a profound, pertinent tale surrounding the Syrian refugee crisis.
Sherwan Haji plays Khaled, who hides on a ship, seeking asylum and solace in Finland. Housed temporarily until he learns of the outcome of his trial, and whether he’s legally allowed to remain in Europe – he dreams only of his sister, who he had lost contact with on his route. We then encounter Wikstrom (Sakari Kuosmanen), a restaurateur who leaves his wife and wins a lot of money playing poker, to then open up a new establishment. Initially we aren’t quite sure how both he and Khaled’s lives will intertwine,...
- 5/25/2017
- by Stefan Pape
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
“The Other Side of Hope”
Winsome, sweet, and often very funny, the second chapter of Aki Kaurismäki’s unofficial trilogy about port cities is a delightful story about the power of kindness that unfolds like a slightly more somber riff on 2011’s “Le Havre.” The Finnish auteur’s latest refugee story begins with a twentysomething Syrian man named Khaled (terrific newcomer Sherwan Haji), who escapes from Aleppo after burying most of his family and sneaks into Finland by stowing away in the cargo hold of a coal freighter. His path eventually crosses with Wikström (Sakari Kuosmanen), a newly single restauranteur who could use a helping hand. Part Roy Andersson and part Frank Capra, “The Other Side of Hope” deepens the director’s recognition of how immigrants and refugees are victimized by their invisibility, and its timeliness could help it strike a chord with domestic audiences. “Le Havre” grossed more than...
Winsome, sweet, and often very funny, the second chapter of Aki Kaurismäki’s unofficial trilogy about port cities is a delightful story about the power of kindness that unfolds like a slightly more somber riff on 2011’s “Le Havre.” The Finnish auteur’s latest refugee story begins with a twentysomething Syrian man named Khaled (terrific newcomer Sherwan Haji), who escapes from Aleppo after burying most of his family and sneaks into Finland by stowing away in the cargo hold of a coal freighter. His path eventually crosses with Wikström (Sakari Kuosmanen), a newly single restauranteur who could use a helping hand. Part Roy Andersson and part Frank Capra, “The Other Side of Hope” deepens the director’s recognition of how immigrants and refugees are victimized by their invisibility, and its timeliness could help it strike a chord with domestic audiences. “Le Havre” grossed more than...
- 2/20/2017
- by David Ehrlich, Eric Kohn and Jude Dry
- Indiewire
What Kiarostami is to the front seats of a car and Bresson is to the prison, so Aki Kaurismäki is to the perennial mid-80s Helsinki; that dark pastel-colored nowhere where everyone smokes and drinks and wears cheap suits. One of the many interesting things about The Other Side of Hope — a poignantly contemporaneous deadpan comedy which is surely amongst the greatest of his 20-or-so features — is that the auteur plants a Syrian refugee named Khaled (Sherwan Haji) into the center of that backwards world, as if he were a walking anachronism.
It’s a wonderful central conceit from the master filmmaker, a director who has spent a career simultaneously championing and poking fun at working class Finnish life — the fundamental melancholy of it, the want for escape and the booze. Here we’re asked to consider why a man who has just fled a war-torn country — and ended up...
It’s a wonderful central conceit from the master filmmaker, a director who has spent a career simultaneously championing and poking fun at working class Finnish life — the fundamental melancholy of it, the want for escape and the booze. Here we’re asked to consider why a man who has just fled a war-torn country — and ended up...
- 2/15/2017
- by Rory O'Connor
- The Film Stage
Like Roger Federer’s forehand or Jiro Ono’s sushi, Aki Kaurismäki’s deadpan is one of those beautiful things that’s been refined beyond all reason over years of intense practice, eventually approaching a perfection that makes it easy to predict but impossible to deny.
Consider one early bit of business in the Finnish filmmaker’s latest fable, a wordless sequence in which a middle-aged man named Wikström (Sakari Kuosmanen) leaves his wife (Kaija Pakarinen). It’s the dead of night. The man is wearing a suit and looking at his reflection in the bedroom mirror; his wife is pouring herself a drink at the tiny table in the corner of their kitchen. A fat cactus sits next to her booze. Wikström saunters over, places his wedding band and apartment keys on the table, and walks out the door. His wife lights another cigarette, picks up the ring, and stubs it into the ashtray.
Consider one early bit of business in the Finnish filmmaker’s latest fable, a wordless sequence in which a middle-aged man named Wikström (Sakari Kuosmanen) leaves his wife (Kaija Pakarinen). It’s the dead of night. The man is wearing a suit and looking at his reflection in the bedroom mirror; his wife is pouring herself a drink at the tiny table in the corner of their kitchen. A fat cactus sits next to her booze. Wikström saunters over, places his wedding band and apartment keys on the table, and walks out the door. His wife lights another cigarette, picks up the ring, and stubs it into the ashtray.
- 2/14/2017
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Finnish cinema is back in a major next year as Aki Kaurismäki will soon debut his first feature since 2001’s Le Havre. Set for a world premiere at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival in early February, we’ve been anticipating The Other Side of Hope for some time now and the first trailer has finally arrived today.
Starring Sakari Kuosmanen and Sherwan Haji, the story follows a poker-playing restauranteur and former traveling salesman who befriends a group of refugees newly arrived from Finland. While there’s no subtitles, a good amount of the dialogue is in English, which gives us a strong sense for what to expect for the film, hopefully picking up U.S. distribution soon.
Check out the trailer below thanks to Screen Anarchy, and we’ll update when an English-subtitled version arrives.
The Other Side of Hope will premiere at the 2017 Berlin Film Festival in...
Starring Sakari Kuosmanen and Sherwan Haji, the story follows a poker-playing restauranteur and former traveling salesman who befriends a group of refugees newly arrived from Finland. While there’s no subtitles, a good amount of the dialogue is in English, which gives us a strong sense for what to expect for the film, hopefully picking up U.S. distribution soon.
Check out the trailer below thanks to Screen Anarchy, and we’ll update when an English-subtitled version arrives.
The Other Side of Hope will premiere at the 2017 Berlin Film Festival in...
- 12/30/2016
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The 2017 Berlin Film Festival has revealed its first slate of 14 films for the Competition and Berlinale Special sections, including new work from Aki Kaurismaki (“The Man Without a Past”), Oren Moverman (“Time Out of Mind”) and Sally Potter (“Ginger & Rosa”). The festival will also screen a restored version of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s 1972 TV series “Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day.”
Read More: The 2016 Indiewire Berlin International Film Festival Bible: Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During Run of Festival
So far, ten films have been invited to screen in Competition, and four films have been selected for Berlinale Special. These productions and co-productions are from the United State, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Belgium, Poland, Senegal and more.
The 67th Berlin International Film Festival will run from February 9 through 19. Further films will be revealed in the coming weeks. For more information, visit the official website.
Read More: The...
Read More: The 2016 Indiewire Berlin International Film Festival Bible: Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During Run of Festival
So far, ten films have been invited to screen in Competition, and four films have been selected for Berlinale Special. These productions and co-productions are from the United State, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Belgium, Poland, Senegal and more.
The 67th Berlin International Film Festival will run from February 9 through 19. Further films will be revealed in the coming weeks. For more information, visit the official website.
Read More: The...
- 12/15/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
After Sundance Film Festival concludes in late January, the next big cinematic event on the globe is the Berlin International Film Festival. With Paul Verhoeven serving as jury president for the 67th edition of the festival, they’ve now announced their first line-up of titles, including Aki Kaurismäki‘s The Other Side of Hope (pictured above), Oren Moverman‘s Richard Gere-led The Dinner, Sally Potter‘s The Party (pictured below), and Agnieszka Holland‘s Spoor, as well as a restoration of a Rainer Werner Fassbinder TV show.
Check out the first titles below, and return for our coverage from the festival.
Competition
A teströl és a lélekröl (On Body and Soul)
Hungary
By Ildiko Enyedi (My 20th Century, Simon the Magician)
With Géza Morcsányi, Alexandra Borbély, Zoltán Schneider
World premiere
Ana, mon amour
Romania/Germany/France
By Călin Peter Netzer (Child‘s Pose, Maria)
With Mircea Postelnicu, Diana Cavallioti,...
Check out the first titles below, and return for our coverage from the festival.
Competition
A teströl és a lélekröl (On Body and Soul)
Hungary
By Ildiko Enyedi (My 20th Century, Simon the Magician)
With Géza Morcsányi, Alexandra Borbély, Zoltán Schneider
World premiere
Ana, mon amour
Romania/Germany/France
By Călin Peter Netzer (Child‘s Pose, Maria)
With Mircea Postelnicu, Diana Cavallioti,...
- 12/15/2016
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Aki Kaurismäki, Oren Moverman, Agnieszka Holland, Sally Potter among Competition lineup.
The first 14 films have been announced for the Competition and Berlinale Special sections of the 67th Berlin International Film Festival.
Among directors with movies in competition are Aki Kaurismäki, Oren Moverman, Agnieszka Holland, Andres Veiel, Sebastián Lelio and Sally Potter.
Festival veteran Kaurismäki will debut new film The Other Side Of Hope about a Finnish travelling salesman who meets a Syrian refugee.
Moverman’s (The Messenger) mystery-drama The Dinner stars Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Steve Coogan, Rebecca Hall and Chloë Sevigny. Based on the novel by Herman Koch, the film looks at at how far parents will go to protect their children.
Oscar-nominated Holland, who was nominated for the Golden Bear in 1981, will be at the Berlinale with crime-drama Pokot.
Potter returns to Berlin with ensemble comedy-drama The Party starring Patricia Clarkson, Bruno Ganz, Cherry Jones, Emily Mortimer, Cillian Murphy, Kristin Scott Thomas and [link...
The first 14 films have been announced for the Competition and Berlinale Special sections of the 67th Berlin International Film Festival.
Among directors with movies in competition are Aki Kaurismäki, Oren Moverman, Agnieszka Holland, Andres Veiel, Sebastián Lelio and Sally Potter.
Festival veteran Kaurismäki will debut new film The Other Side Of Hope about a Finnish travelling salesman who meets a Syrian refugee.
Moverman’s (The Messenger) mystery-drama The Dinner stars Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Steve Coogan, Rebecca Hall and Chloë Sevigny. Based on the novel by Herman Koch, the film looks at at how far parents will go to protect their children.
Oscar-nominated Holland, who was nominated for the Golden Bear in 1981, will be at the Berlinale with crime-drama Pokot.
Potter returns to Berlin with ensemble comedy-drama The Party starring Patricia Clarkson, Bruno Ganz, Cherry Jones, Emily Mortimer, Cillian Murphy, Kristin Scott Thomas and [link...
- 12/15/2016
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Aki Kaurismäki, Oren Moverman, Agnieszka Holland, Sally Potter among competition lineup.
The first 14 films have been announced for the Competition and Berlinale Special sections of the 67th Berlin International Film Festival.
Among directors with movies in competition are Aki Kaurismäki, Oren Moverman, Agnieszka Holland, Andres Veiel, Sebastián Lelio and Sally Potter.
Moverman’s (The Messenger) mystery-drama The Dinner stars Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Steve Coogan, Rebecca Hall and Chloë Sevigny.
Fernando Trueba’s comedy-drama The Queen of Spain, starring Penelope Cruz, will get its international premiere in the Berlinale Special strand.
More to follow…
Competition
A teströl és a lélekröl (On Body and Soul) (Hungary)
By Ildiko Enyedi (My 20th Century, Simon the Magician)
With Géza Morcsányi, Alexandra Borbély, Zoltán Schneider
World premiere
Ana, mon amour (Romania / Germany / France)
By Călin Peter Netzer (Child‘s Pose, Maria)
With Mircea Postelnicu, Diana Cavallioti, Carmen Tănase, Adrian Titieni, Vlad Ivanov
World premiere
Beuys - Documentary (Germany)
By Andres Veiel ([link...
The first 14 films have been announced for the Competition and Berlinale Special sections of the 67th Berlin International Film Festival.
Among directors with movies in competition are Aki Kaurismäki, Oren Moverman, Agnieszka Holland, Andres Veiel, Sebastián Lelio and Sally Potter.
Moverman’s (The Messenger) mystery-drama The Dinner stars Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Steve Coogan, Rebecca Hall and Chloë Sevigny.
Fernando Trueba’s comedy-drama The Queen of Spain, starring Penelope Cruz, will get its international premiere in the Berlinale Special strand.
More to follow…
Competition
A teströl és a lélekröl (On Body and Soul) (Hungary)
By Ildiko Enyedi (My 20th Century, Simon the Magician)
With Géza Morcsányi, Alexandra Borbély, Zoltán Schneider
World premiere
Ana, mon amour (Romania / Germany / France)
By Călin Peter Netzer (Child‘s Pose, Maria)
With Mircea Postelnicu, Diana Cavallioti, Carmen Tănase, Adrian Titieni, Vlad Ivanov
World premiere
Beuys - Documentary (Germany)
By Andres Veiel ([link...
- 12/15/2016
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
First image released from new film about Finnish travelling salesman who meets a Syrian refugee.
Aki Kaurismaki’s new film The Other Side Of Hope (Toivon Tuolla Puolen) has confirmed its Finnish release date of Feb 3. The Match Factory handles international sales.
The 98-minute film, shot in the early autumn in Helsinki, tells the story of a Finnish travelling salesman crossing paths with a Syrian refugee.
The Other Side Of Hope is the second instalment in Kaurismäki’s trilogy focusing on port cities, which began with Le Havre.
The lead actors are Sherwan Haji as Syrian refugee Khaled, and Sakari Kuosmanen as Wikström the salesman.
The cast also includes Janne Hyytiäinen, Nuppu Koivu and Ilkka Koivula as personnel of the “Kultainen tuoppi” restaurant owned by Wikström, and Simon Hussein Al-Bazoon playing Iraqi asylum seeker Mazdak. Other cast includes Kaija Pakarinen, Kati Outinen, Tommi Korpela and Tuomari Nurmio.
Key crew includes DoP Timo Salminen, costume designer...
Aki Kaurismaki’s new film The Other Side Of Hope (Toivon Tuolla Puolen) has confirmed its Finnish release date of Feb 3. The Match Factory handles international sales.
The 98-minute film, shot in the early autumn in Helsinki, tells the story of a Finnish travelling salesman crossing paths with a Syrian refugee.
The Other Side Of Hope is the second instalment in Kaurismäki’s trilogy focusing on port cities, which began with Le Havre.
The lead actors are Sherwan Haji as Syrian refugee Khaled, and Sakari Kuosmanen as Wikström the salesman.
The cast also includes Janne Hyytiäinen, Nuppu Koivu and Ilkka Koivula as personnel of the “Kultainen tuoppi” restaurant owned by Wikström, and Simon Hussein Al-Bazoon playing Iraqi asylum seeker Mazdak. Other cast includes Kaija Pakarinen, Kati Outinen, Tommi Korpela and Tuomari Nurmio.
Key crew includes DoP Timo Salminen, costume designer...
- 12/8/2016
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
It was announced in December that Finnish filmmaker Aki Kaurismäki would be embarking on production for his next picture, which would be the second chapter in his "port city trilogy" that was kicked off with 2011's charming "Le Havre." The working title for the flick had been "Refugee," which as you might guess is informed by the ongoing refugee crisis in Europe. Read More: Cannes Review: 'Le Havre,' Another Hilarious, Humane & Moving Film From Aki Kaurismäki The Finnish Film Foundation has announced that it's granting production funding to Kaurismaki's new project, which now is now evidently called "The Other Side Of Hope." No official details have been released, but last year it was said that Kaurismäki regular Sakari Kuosmanen ("The Man Without A Past," "Drifting Clouds," "Leningrad Cowboys Go America," "Shadows In...
- 4/26/2016
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
With it having been about five years since Aki Kaurismäki‘s last picture — the great and greater-than-you-remember Le Havre — we’ve been hoping to hear something, anything about what the Finnish helmer’s been planning. Today, then, is a welcome one: while speaking to TV-Maalima (via Cineuropa), it was revealed that he’ll next take on Refugee, a spiritual successor to Le Havre and the second installment in his “trilogy focusing on port cities.”
Little is known, except that Kaurismäki has very recently been sparked by the migrant crisis developing in Tornio, Finland. From these events, he’s shaped a tale concerning a young refugee (to be played by an actor of Syrian or Iraqi descent) and, as portrayed by regular collaborator Sakari Kuosmanen, “a former travelling salesman who has become a poker player and now a restaurateur.” Compare this to Le Havre, which followed an African refugee and an...
Little is known, except that Kaurismäki has very recently been sparked by the migrant crisis developing in Tornio, Finland. From these events, he’s shaped a tale concerning a young refugee (to be played by an actor of Syrian or Iraqi descent) and, as portrayed by regular collaborator Sakari Kuosmanen, “a former travelling salesman who has become a poker player and now a restaurateur.” Compare this to Le Havre, which followed an African refugee and an...
- 12/4/2015
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Visually sublime and emotionally buoyant, Aki Kaurismaki's black-and-white silent effort "Juha" is a jewel, a beautifully crafted work suffused with the director's deadpan wit, elegantly terse narrative style and bleakly ironic pessimism found in his greatest works ("Ariel", "The Match Factory Girl"). In mood and effect, it summons up a lost art form -- telling its story in images and conveying its depth of feeling in expression and body inflection.
Shown twice at the Berlin Film Festival with a live musical accompaniment by the Anssi Tikanmaki Filmorchestra, "Juha" seems a film intended for limited, highly specialized audiences. Under any circumstances, it remains a free, intensely accessible work. Adapting a 1911 novel by Finnish author Juhani Aho, Kaurismaki creates a startling and imaginative tale of love lost and regained.
At its core, "Juha" is a love triangle of shifting emotional currents and sharp reversals. Deceptively simple couple Juha (Sakari Kuosmanen) and Marja (Kati Outinen) watch sinister "outsider" Shemeikka (Andre Wilms) undermine their bond in convincing Marja that the hulking, pleasant Juha is an unworthy mate because of a slight physical impediment. At last giving in to his seedy charm and persistent manner, Marja follows Shemeikka to Helsinki. The balance of the narrative is Juha's uncompromising quest to woo Marja back.
Working with his great cinematographer Timo Salminen, Kaurismaki draws on a deeply elemental physical style, a beautifully rhyming symphony of water, landscape and air that is the ideal visual complement to Anssi Tikanmaki's deeply ambient music. A former film critic with an encyclopedic knowledge of film history, Kaurismaki references the gracefully gliding camera work of F.W. Murnau ("The Last Laugh") and the vivid emotional force of D.W. Griffith ("Broken Blossoms").
There is also a very witty tribute to his old friend, the great American director Samuel Fuller, who appeared in his adaptation of "La vie de boheme".
The images in "Juha" sing and soar, such as the quiet, tender moment when Marja drapes Juha's arm over her in bed. There is no more wistful or quietly devastating moment than the sight of the large, ill-fitted Juha stranded on the side of the road. The one time direct sound is heard, of Shemeikka's sister (Elina Salo) performing a French song in a cafe, the moment has a stunning emotional impact, a feeling of time elegantly, dramatically being reborn.
JUHA
A Sputnik Oy production
An Aki Kaurismaki film
Director-producer-writer-editor: Aki Kaurismaki
Based on the novel by: Juhani Aho
Music: Anssi Tikanmaki
Director of photography: Timo Salminen
Production manager: Ilkka Mertsola
Sound: Jouko Lumme
Set design: Markku Patila, Jukka Salmi
Black and white/stereo
Cast:
Juha: Sakari Kuosmanen
Marja: Kati Outinen
Shemeikka: Andre Wilms
Driver: Marku Peltola
Shemeikka's sister: Elina Salo
Running time --78 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Shown twice at the Berlin Film Festival with a live musical accompaniment by the Anssi Tikanmaki Filmorchestra, "Juha" seems a film intended for limited, highly specialized audiences. Under any circumstances, it remains a free, intensely accessible work. Adapting a 1911 novel by Finnish author Juhani Aho, Kaurismaki creates a startling and imaginative tale of love lost and regained.
At its core, "Juha" is a love triangle of shifting emotional currents and sharp reversals. Deceptively simple couple Juha (Sakari Kuosmanen) and Marja (Kati Outinen) watch sinister "outsider" Shemeikka (Andre Wilms) undermine their bond in convincing Marja that the hulking, pleasant Juha is an unworthy mate because of a slight physical impediment. At last giving in to his seedy charm and persistent manner, Marja follows Shemeikka to Helsinki. The balance of the narrative is Juha's uncompromising quest to woo Marja back.
Working with his great cinematographer Timo Salminen, Kaurismaki draws on a deeply elemental physical style, a beautifully rhyming symphony of water, landscape and air that is the ideal visual complement to Anssi Tikanmaki's deeply ambient music. A former film critic with an encyclopedic knowledge of film history, Kaurismaki references the gracefully gliding camera work of F.W. Murnau ("The Last Laugh") and the vivid emotional force of D.W. Griffith ("Broken Blossoms").
There is also a very witty tribute to his old friend, the great American director Samuel Fuller, who appeared in his adaptation of "La vie de boheme".
The images in "Juha" sing and soar, such as the quiet, tender moment when Marja drapes Juha's arm over her in bed. There is no more wistful or quietly devastating moment than the sight of the large, ill-fitted Juha stranded on the side of the road. The one time direct sound is heard, of Shemeikka's sister (Elina Salo) performing a French song in a cafe, the moment has a stunning emotional impact, a feeling of time elegantly, dramatically being reborn.
JUHA
A Sputnik Oy production
An Aki Kaurismaki film
Director-producer-writer-editor: Aki Kaurismaki
Based on the novel by: Juhani Aho
Music: Anssi Tikanmaki
Director of photography: Timo Salminen
Production manager: Ilkka Mertsola
Sound: Jouko Lumme
Set design: Markku Patila, Jukka Salmi
Black and white/stereo
Cast:
Juha: Sakari Kuosmanen
Marja: Kati Outinen
Shemeikka: Andre Wilms
Driver: Marku Peltola
Shemeikka's sister: Elina Salo
Running time --78 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 2/22/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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