Using humour to depict the hardship faced by Syrian refugees might not seem the most obvious approach to take, but that’s exactly what Finnish director Aki Kaurishmaki has done with his latest work “T
Using humour to depict the hardship faced by Syrian refugees might not seem the most obvious approach to take, but that’s exactly what Finnish director Aki Kaurishmaki has done with his latest work “The Other Side of Hope”
Bringing smiles to the Berlin film festival on Tuesday, the comedy drama tells the story of two men who flee their homes and form an unlikely friendship.
The first is Khaled a Syrian refugee. He decides to remain in Helsinki after his application to stay in the country is rejected. His fate is to meet salesman Wikstrom, who buys a restaurant in the Finnish capital where he gives Khaled a job and a bed.
Speaking at the festival, Kaurismäki said he hoped the film will make cinema goers think harder about the refugee crisis.
“Cinema doesn’t have such influence……. this is to force the three people that go to see this film that we are all same, that we are all human, and tomorrow it could be you that will be a refugee,” he said.