Toivon tuolla puolen (The Other Side of Hope)
2017
**
Director: Aki Kaurismäki
Cast: Sherwan Haji, Sakari Kuosmanen, Ilkka Koivula, Janne Hyytiäinen, Nuppu Koivu, Kaija Pakarinen, Niroz Haji, Simon Hussein Al-Bazoon, Kati Outinen, Tommi Korpela
A Syrian refugee who has lost most of his family arrives in Helsinki and seeks asylum in Finland. He ends up getting help from a middle-aged Finnish man who runs a struggling restaurant. Aki Kaurismäki is a director whose works always revolve around the same style, themes, and subject matter. This time he recycles Le Havre and Drifting Clouds into an incredibly dull drama, which is interrupted by 4-5 pointless musical performances. The topic is potentially thought-provoking, but that is irrelevant because this story is not set in the real world. Kaurismäki's dry humour is present, but the jokes feel forced.
