While we still discuss the importance of acting, plot, story and even photography to a film from time to time,
There is a director who made the longest " long " movie in his life in a high-end way,
He told us in his own maverick style—
Sometimes, the film is just the form itself, full of infinite charm.
I don't know if you can guess him...
Aki Kaurismaki
When all commercial movies pursue traffic and IP,
He can keep his original style unchanged, he can quietly make films that exude unique artistic charm, he can use minimalist individualism to interpret social contradictions, and at the same time express his sympathy for refugees and people at the bottom of the society.
Director Akey deserves the honor of best director at the Berlin International Film Festival.
In today's films, it is difficult to use the word "film art".
The impetuous film circle and blindly obedient film directors continue to subdue the "artistic" of the film to its commercial value.
In other words, there are too many works kidnapped by capital.
Movies with less traffic and fresh meat, but the box office is bleak because of the lack of the most basic moviegoers.
Aside from these, the essence of film is a kind of art, maybe we can pass this-
the other side of hope
Toivon tuolla puolen
Re-experience an extraordinary cinematic art, and take a new look at Archie .
100 minutes, in the eyes of mainstream commercial films, may not be a feature film anymore, but for director Akey, it is an unprecedented first time.
Because this stubborn Finnish director believes in minimalism, there is " Jane " in the length of the film.
As he himself said-
"For fear of becoming addicted to smoking, (I) can only make movies within 70 minutes"
Although a bit exaggerated, it is undeniable that in his famous works, the length of the film is very short.
"Ascension" was 69 minutes, "The Match Factory Girl" was only 59 minutes, and "Light of Twilight" was only 59 minutes for the first time, and then it was extended to 80 minutes for participating in the film festival.
"Twilight" movie poster
Watch the plot-
The story of "The Other Side of Hope" is very simple. It tells the story of the Syrian refugee Khalid (Shvan Haji) who fled to Helsinki, Finland, and was greeted with indifference, hostility and help.
It is not without reason that this film, which reflects the lower class, social welfare mechanism and refugee issues, was chosen to be released in 2017.
The influx of refugees into Europe is precisely because of the Syrian civil war,
The most shocking thing is that the three-year-old child in Syria floated on the beach during the smuggling process-
This makes "The Other Side of Hope" not only bears the art of film, but also has a lot of practical significance. Because the background of the film is set in Finland, the protagonist also happens to be a refugee from Syria.
Speaking of movies, you will find that "The Other Side of Hope" is full of Archie's personal style symbols.
Many great directors have tried their best to seek the innovation and continuation of their works and personal styles through innovative breakthroughs in stories or technologies.
Akey didn't do this, on the contrary, he had the arrogance of a poor literati - in his opinion, his own unique style is the "continuation" itself.
"Women in the Match Factory"
The Berlin Silver Bear Award also seems to prove the correctness of Akey's idea from another aspect.
Formally, Akey's films stand out with their cool, restrained photography and minimalist, idealized colors .
The story of a Syrian refugee who took refuge, it's not hard to spot the art of photography in the film.
Accidentally got on the wrong boat and came to Khalid in Finland, and climbed out of the coal pile soon.
When I got off the boat and looked around, the light reflected on the side of the boat, the shadows of the lights in the distance, the high-gloss wooden boat ladder, a tragic figure, everything was filled with pleasant warm colors.
When this "refugee" went to the bathhouse to wash off, take off his ragged coat, and put on his shirt—
The full red light and delicate face make him look like another Yamada Takayuki under photography.
Japanese movie star Takayuki Yamada
Even the use of color in the shooting of street bands can be called colorful——
This screenshot includes almost all colors, just as Archie describes his own use of colors-
Idealizing the use of color, I was more of a poet than a social or political commentator.
The free switching of cool and warm tones and the preference for cool tones make the expression of the film lens more direct, while the replacement of light and shade achieved by the contrast between light and shadow colors and cool and warm tones makes the picture more concise but full of tension.
For example, in this screenshot of Khalid seeing his missing sister at the end, the green jacket, yellow lining, and floral dress are already very visually striking.
The director then used warm tones to make Khalid's face stand out. Obviously, the colors reflect the inner changes of the characters.
This ideal use of color tones is really not comparable to lines and performance skills.
The same style of "The Match Factory Girl" tells a tragic and oppressive story, and its color is always shrouded in a cool gray-blue hue.
Many things are reflected through color and artistic style, and the dialogue in the natural film appears to be economical and refined . Coupled with the director's preference for cigarettes , the artistic sense created by the film's screen even exceeds that of the large lines.
Take the second protagonist in the film, the capitalist Vicstrom gambling in the casino as an example.
First, a simple panorama of the casino entered the camera, showing the main background of this section, the rising smoke, the dress of suits and leather shoes, and the serious expressions of everyone, it is not difficult to see the depression of the atmosphere.
In the first scene, 1V5, the director only used these lines and one expression, and the result was clear.
In the second game, the first person to win and lose all to quit,
Then the picture is all, a cold-colored late-night casino panorama occupies two seconds of footage,
Back at the casino, someone was already asleep, and there were only two people left on the table.
In the third game, the remaining giants' duel, the lines here began to increase, but it was still extremely refined.
Although the two sides did not have any extra words, the tense atmosphere has been rendered to the extreme in the background sound of the cards being dealt, and the cigarettes that the two of them constantly sipped are the best antidote to this kind of atmosphere.
In the end, Wickstrom became the winner, and the other party said something—
Don't come again .
A murderous look appeared between his eyebrows. And Wickstrom just replied lightly——
The expression is rarely soothing, and the smoke is not needed.
In this single scene, with just a few lines, the atmosphere of the whole environment and the psychological game of the characters seem to be magnified several times in an instant.
In the smoky environment, the constant consumption of cigarettes is not only the only way for the characters to soothe their minds, but also proves the sense of crisis and anxiety under the gaming table from the side.
The difference is that cigarettes can not only play a role in setting off the tense atmosphere, but also a thermometer of friendly atmosphere.
The male protagonist, Khalid , was imprisoned in the Immigration Bureau for the first time. When he met Iraqi friends, the two became friends with smoke.
After returning to the temporary residence, I met the black brother and others who were also refugees, also through smoking.
This kind of tobacco is not the mental paralysis of the adult world, nor is it a drug to escape from reality.
Instead, it became the only way for Khalid to make friends and integrate into the collective in a strange Helsinki.
Tobacco has become the spiritual food of these refugees,
At the same time, it has become the only ever-effective panacea in the real world created by the movie.
You will see that when the capitalist Wickstrom not only took in Khalid, but also found his sister for him, plus the driver, the three of them did not thank and appreciate each other, but lit a cigarette and slowly taste.
They turned around deliberately and stared blankly at the camera, as if to tell you - this is the best kind of gratitude and gratitude between men.
In addition, Akey's film, the use and preference for intuitive music , is simply deafening.
Khalid was talked to by the immigration bureau, and got drunk alone at night, and there happened to be a wandering singer outside the window.
I will hold you tight
we'll have fun all night
At dawn you will find
I have disappeared
The diligence and passion of the wandering singer is a concrete contrast to Khalid's expressionless face in the window.
Refugees wandering here, and singers wandering on the streets, although they do different things, aren't they essentially the same?
They have no fixed occupation, no fixed residence, or even no relatives.
One uses both hands, feet, and mouth for a living, just in exchange for a few coins, and the other doesn't even know if he can stay here the next day.
Accompanied by the sad parting lyrics, the world is full of coolness.
When Khalid was expelled, on the eve of his departure, playing his instrument—
The eyes of the people around him are dull-
Some are thoughtful-
Some expressions are blank--
But in a place like an immigrant shelter, when they play the music of their hometown, they all have the same thought under their expressions - homesickness.
Looking at the second picture, is there a sense of alienation of "the bright moonlight in front of the bed"?
No matter what culture you are in, homesickness is the same, and the film rendering power mobilized by music cannot be replaced by a few crying or lines.
This is a group portrait of all living beings living in exile, an elegy for the experiences of foreign refugees.
I don't know why many of Aki's films are classified as " comedy ", but there is indeed a cold humor in the film that makes people laugh.
As light as water, but without losing the taste.
The film went on for more than an hour before the two main story lines of Khalid and Wickstrom met, and the encounter was a little embarrassing-Khalid occupied the place where the boss Wickstrom took out the trash.
So the two fought, and the introverted Khalid was full of anger because of Finland's indifference and hostility.
As a result, the next second, the two sat at the same dining table again, and Khalid devoured the boss's food.
This contrast is cute, although none of the actors speak or laugh, but the comic effect is still achieved.
The police came to the restaurant to check, and Khalid and the dog were forced to hide in the women's toilet. When the inspection was over and the chef opened the door of the women's toilet, Khalid said this without a smile——
Jokes are more funny when they come from serious or sad people.
This is why the core of comedy is "sad".
Under the title "The Other Side of Hope", the film explores the lives of refugees and their experiences in foreign countries.
It seems to be trying to bring the audience into a situation of "desperate" and "hopeless".
The warm colors that can be filled in the film, the beautification of the Finnish capitalists and the friendly carving of the people at the bottom seem to tell us——
Hope has always been there.
When Khalid asked why his Iraqi friends were always so happy, he didn't shy away—
Should I also pretend to be happy
Although disguise has become the face of their lives, they have not lost hope.
This hope is the work of the mouths of Iraqi friends,
It's Wickstrom's wedding ring,
It's the belief that Sister Khalid doesn't want to die easily, just like Khalid's belief that she is alive,
At the end of the film, Khalid was stabbed by racial elements and sat across from the police station watching his sister turn herself in.
Beneath the bleeding wound was a calm and even smiling face, and a dog rushed up to lick it.
Yeah, life won't talk to you, reason with you, tell you what to do,
It will only stab you a few times and tell you when you are bleeding: Silly X, have you learned it?
Perhaps the other side of hope is not despair,
But what about a different form of hope?
View more about The Other Side of Hope reviews
