Synopsis
Finland’s master of deadpan comedy, Aki Kaurismäki (Lights in the Dusk, Le Havre), returns with the story of an unlikely friendship between a Syrian asylum seeker and an elderly Finnish restaurant owner. Winner of the Berlin Silver Bear for Best Director, it’s a beautiful, timely film from one of the world's leading auteurs. Khaled (Sherwan Haji) arrives at the port of Helsinki concealed in a coal container, fleeing war-torn Syria to seek asylum in Finland. Dazed and frustrated by the monolithic administration he encounters at the detention centre, he makes a break for it and heads out onto the streets. There he meets Wikström (Sakari Kuosmanen), a former shirt salesman who has recently left his alcoholic wife for a new life as a bachelor restaurateur. Together, they help each other to navigate the adversities they face in these unfamiliar and often baffling new worlds. With hilarious sight gags, poker-faced one liners and a toe-tapping rockabilly soundtrack, Kaurismäki’s latest balances his unparalleled wit with a pressing critique of the unforgiving bureaucracy that greets vulnerable asylum seekers in modern-day Europe. Humane and sincere, it's proof of cinema's power to tell stories that matter, with beauty and heart.
Like the film on facebookDirector
Aki Kaurismäki
Cast
Sherwan Haji: Khaled Sakari Kuosmanen: Wikström Janne Hyytiäinen: Nyrhinen Ilkka Koivula: Calamnius Nuppu Koivu: Mirja Simon Hussein Al-Bazoon: Mazdak Niroz Haji: Miriam Kaija Pakarinen: Wife
Crew
Aki Kaurismäki: Director / writer / producer Timo Salminen: Director of Photography Samu Heikkilä: Editor Tero Malmberg: Sound Designer Ville Grönroos: Production Design #1 Heikki Häkkinen: Production Design #2 Markku Pätilä: Production Design #3 Tiina Kaukanen: Costumes and Make-up
Details
Original title: Toivon tuolla puolen Production year: 2017 DVD catalogue number: ART827DVD Blu-ray catalogue number: ART214BD
Awards
Winner of Best Director Silver Bear at the 2017 Berlin Film Festival
Now in cinemas & Curzon Home Cinema
Out on DVD, Blu-ray & on demand from 24 July
GENRE: Drama, Comedy
DIRECTOR: Aki Kaurismäki
CAST:
Sherwan Haji: Khaled
Sakari Kuosmanen: Wikström
Janne Hyytiäinen: Nyrhinen
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CREW:
Aki Kaurismäki: Director / writer / producer
Timo Salminen: Director of Photography
Samu Heikkilä: Editor
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DURATION: 98 Mins
COUNTRIES: Finland, Germany
LANGUAGES: English, Arabic, Finnish
AWARDS:
Winner of Best Director Silver Bear at the 2017 Berlin Film Festival
Where to watch
Videos
Poster
Reviews
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“Finds the artist at the height of his powers... Winsome, sweet, and often very funny”
David Ehrlich, Indiewire
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“Gorgeous, cuttingly poignant”
Tim Robey, The Telegraph
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“Sympathetic and charming”
Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
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“Touching and compassionate... a deeply humane film, as well as a quietly hilarious one”
Dave Calhoun, Time Out
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“It works, it charms, it often entrances”
Nigel Andrews, Financial Times
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“A masterpiece... The warmest, most life-enhancing film I’ve seen this year”
Saskia Baron, The Arts Desk
Articles
Aki Kaurismäki
Interview with The Guardian
Win Aki Kaurismäki DVDs and Finnish treats
Win a prize bundle by reviewing The Other Side of Hope
Berlin Film Festival
Press conference highlights
Discuss the film
Other films we recommend
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The Aki Kaurismäki Collection Volume 3
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The Aki Kaurismäki Collection Volume 2
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The Aki Kaurismäki Collection Volume 3
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