In early 2017, Trump issued an entry restriction order, which triggered simultaneous oscillations around the world. This turmoil lasted until the Oscars at the end of February, embedding the magical realism climate in the first half of the year. Since 2015, in the face of the continuing refugee crisis, European countries have swayed between humanity and national conditions. Coupled with frequent attacks in various regions, the cooperation process has been repeatedly interrupted. The originally open and inclusive integration pattern has fallen into a quagmire. Border controls have been strengthened and community conflicts have continued... Trump's deportation of illegal immigrants from his country is enough to be seen as a concentrated outbreak of conflicts that have accumulated over time.
At the moment when the acceptance policy is under impact, how much goodwill can break through the obstacles of the program, can the warmth from the people melt the cold judicial order? In his latest work "The Other Side of Hope", Aki Kaurismaki throws out his answer to us with a story full of warm colors.
The first half of the film consists of two story lines: the clothing dealer Vicstrom, who was separated from his wife, made a lot of money in the casino and successfully switched to the catering industry; the Syrian refugee Khalid walked with his sister on the way to escape. He left, smuggled to Helsinki to seek asylum, and while applying for emigration, he was struggling to find the whereabouts of his relatives. The gap and drama of destiny are clearly displayed here. Two people from different regions are reflected in the audience's field of vision at the same time. The gulf between the innate and acquired in their identities is constantly enlarged in the switching and contrast of the scenes. .
Critics often liken Aki's films to "silent poetry". His use of lines is extremely restrained, and he only relies on a series of characters and conflicts in the scene to complete the connection. At the beginning of "The Other Side of Hope", when Wickstrom went out carrying a suitcase, he did not say goodbye to his wife. There was only silence between the two, with the cigarette butts, vodka bottles, keys, rings, etc. on the table. object. Through the highly simplified creative purpose, the images are like concise poetry, which is calm in the depth of the blank, creating an infinite space for meditation.
This has also become the reason why Aki's films are difficult to accept by some people. The indifferent transition style of a stage play often makes modern audiences who are accustomed to Hollywood-style fast-paced cutting and narrative fall into a lethargy. Compared with the streamlined operation under the monopoly of studios, he originally pursued a different path-a shooting method that fits the spirit of European stylization and classical creation, and bears the imprint of the author. When people sink their hearts, they will instantly be immersed in a quiet and comfortable atmosphere, as if traveling through the old city of Helsinki, being touched by the complicated social scene and a group of kind-hearted people at the bottom.
Such a city is destined to be different from the modernization of New York, which is haunted by superheroes, and is more suitable for telling stories of small people. Backwardness and optimism are also imprinted in his works, becoming two sides that complement each other.
"Le Havre", released in 2011, narrated a story of civilians working together to help black boys. As the second chapter of the "Port Trilogy" series, Aki once again focused on the subject of refugees in "The Other Side of Hope". It is not difficult to see his active attention to this phenomenon. Choosing Aleppo as the hometown behind the protagonist has a sharper realistic meaning.
Same as the previous work, the starting point of the story's focus is not the danger itself, but the intersection and collision between people. Compared with similar works with mixed perspectives, the film completes abstract interpretations of topics such as identity anxiety and cultural integration with a very calm brushstroke, and even the description of the cruelty of war is only a brief stroke. Through Khalid’s intermittent recollections of his escape experience at the police station and the vague news images on TV, the director indirectly pointed out the greatest harm caused by war: it is not physical torture, but spiritual trauma that cannot be smoothed out.
Since developed countries led by Germany relaxed their refugee acceptance policies, vicious incidents such as street robberies and wounding have frequently appeared in the newspapers. The various employment and medical protection measures provided by the government have not only failed to resolve the differences between the two sides, but have intensified the hatred and emotional confrontation between the races. Tracing back to the source, refugees living in other hometowns face a completely unfamiliar language and culture in the process of contacting communities and establishing a new life, creating psychological barriers. Due to their low social status, it is difficult for them to find a stable sense of identity and belonging, which to a large extent restricts the integration between foreign groups and local residents.
The experience of Khalid in a foreign country in the movie proves this very convincingly. He dealt with people with an awkward accent, and was surrounded by provocative gangsters on the street... The quiet streets far away from the flames of war and gunpowder did not seem to give him a haven. A more experienced friend who had sought refuge from Iraq also told him helplessly:
"I have been here for a year, but my life has not improved."
"Sorrowful people will bear the brunt of being sent back."
If you want to integrate into the local area, you must learn to conceal your sorrows and joys and pretend that you are having a good time. This is an implicit rule conceived by the refugee wave. And when the Immigration Bureau ruthlessly rejected Khalid's asylum application and decided to send him back to the country, the confrontation between jurisprudence and human relations immediately surfaced.
When it is difficult for multiple standards to coexist, how can people seek a balance and break the current dilemma? The director proposed a simple, bold, and universal answer: follow the guidance of conscience and kindness in human nature.
It is this kind of flowing warmth that stitches the two parallel narrative tracks together. Two countries, two continents, and two cultures correspond to countless souls wandering alone and eager to rest. Wikstrom and everyone in the restaurant reached a tacit understanding, which led to the reunion of Khalid and his sister. In the alternating light and shadow of black and white, humanistic care is no longer just an empty slogan, but a generous helping hand from the neighbors, which is an emotional force that can cross national borders and nations.
In Aki's works, there always seems to be a bizarre encounter and a bright and upward ending. Although critics have pointed out from time to time that this kind of praise for the beauty of human nature and the noble soul is ultimately an idealized worldly vision, which is too smooth and lacks hierarchy. The subversion of all kinds of impossibility happens to highlight the persistent moral beliefs of the creators. This kind of praise from the heart, pure and selfless, is nothing more than the simplest hope placed on the bottom group.
At the end of the film, Khalid's sister stepped into the police station, determined to fight for a brand new future for herself. After being stabbed, Khalid leaned against a tree by the river, rubbed his face by a puppy, and lively music played in the background. The film was finally fixed in this fairytale-like warm and cozy scene, and the director left us with thoughts that did not stop there. Now that the wave of fragmentation is intensifying, how do we read and understand people from another world? The echoes are mixed and intertwined, and it seems very simple.
The other side of hope is not despair, but hope faintly revealed in the gloom. As long as the wandering warmth is not stubbornly drawn into the vortex, a beacon will always light up on the dark sea, bringing dawn to countless displaced strangers.
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