Aki Kaurismaki doesn't embellish the truth. Truth is, that hope and life goes together. So that emigrant and novice restaurateur - representing both and in turn, hope, in European now days some aspects of a cruel reality. Each other in turn, face a cold, repulsing reality: The young Syrian refugee, the fact that has lost family and home, in bombardments of Aleppo, Syria. Now is seeking to build a new life in distant Finland. Why Finland? Cause this country has a good reputation on treating civil rights. But hope seems to deem slowly as soon after he is told that his application for asylum is rejected cause of not enough documentation on reasons he narrated to the police officers. On the other hand, things do not go better for the stout Finnish - recently restaurant owner. He is with no wife since he left her drinking on the morning table. He also abandoned his job of man's shirts retailer, taking the price to play poker cards, in a playing club near the official casino of the city. What he earns, invests in a restaurant business with three people stuff: the gate keeper, the cook, the waitress. To all three then added Khaled, the Syrian refugee as Wikstrom makes acquaintance of him close to restaurant trash-cans. All seem go right as Khaled sister is found by track-driver - Wikström friend, on Lettonia's borderline, and brought back to Finland to fulfill her brother's strongest wish. But things doesn't happen as supposed to occur: Restaurant doesn't make the intended success, but both, protector and his protected (Winkström and Khaled) face - with optimism and pessimism going together. Another Kaurismaki strong point, the defeat of hopes.
Review of The Other Side of Hope
