I knew of Finiish director Aki Kaurismaki and his work, vague memories of Leningrad Cowboys Go America always being screened on SBS, though I unfortunately never saw it from start to end. I thought it was time to watch one of Kaurismaki’s films, so why not start at the end, with what he has said in interviews will be his last film, The Other Side Of Hope (2017; Toivon tuolla puolen). Made as a rebuke against anti-immigrant sentiment in his home country, Kaurismaki focuses on two characters – Waldermar (Sakari Kuosmanen), a middle-aged Finiish salesman who has decided to change his life and open a restaurant, and Khaled (Sherwan Haji), a Kurdish refuge from the Syrian Civil War who has arrived in Finland for asylum. From whatI knew of Kaurismaki’s style, I was expecting a deadpan tone and that the characters generally don’t say much, and what they would say would be very direct. This was all true, and there is also an emphasis on master shots and close ups to communicate tone (I loved the shot of Waldermar alone in the restaurant after their failed Sushi night) as well as to construct the film’s comedy. It almost felt like classical cinema, something from the silent era, in the simplicity of the plot and the directness of the characters. There were plenty of moments that elicited big belly laughs from me, such as the interactions of the kitchen staff of the restaurant (Nuppu Koivu as the waitress, Ilkka Koivula as the doorman, Janne Hyytiäinen as the cook; they are all hilarious). There’s a casualness as well to the deeply humane gestures that occur between characters, and even though its message of respect and tolerence might be obvious, it’s well told and big hearted. I look forward to exploring more of Kaurismaki’s work. The Other Side Of Heaven is available to stream on SBS On Demand and Kanopy. Recommended.
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