Some seemingly ordinary people often do unusual things, "The world is not mediocre people who can reduce the burden on others. (Dickens language)" in In the film "The Other Side of Hope (Toivon tuolla puolen)" written and directed by the famous Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki, there are a few cold-looking and inhuman Finns, but their hearts are full. The warmth and the troubles of people, especially the new restaurant owner Vicstrom's every move, seems to indicate that he is indeed not a mediocre person, he has a beautiful heart and aspirations.
In Europe, the various social problems and negative news brought about by illegal immigration have caused headaches for the minds and people of all countries. At the time when the opposition was rising, Aki Kaurismaki brought such a handsome and fresh style. The film uses a different perspective and a different mentality to look at the increasingly serious immigration problem from abroad.
It can be seen that Aki, who is now 60 years old this time, has some ideas. The audience can think that certain plot settings may be innocent and cute, but they can never deny the compassionate heart of the creators. Zweig once said: "It is difficult for a person's power to cope with the boundless sufferings in life..." Indeed, everyone in desperate situations needs the help of others, and indifference, discrimination, and even hostility, forever Not a solution to the problem. In the story created by Aki, he uses humor and beautiful structure to build a world that can resist the disturbance, injustice and malice of the outside world. In this world, people have simple desires and behaviors-hope that the same kind can live peacefully and happy from now on life.
When watching this film with a concise and mellow narrative, many people will think of Le Havre, another film with a simple and warm style by Aki. Indeed, this "The Other Side of Hope", which is classified as a comedy, has the common elements of Aki's films, such as focusing on the underlying sufferings as always, the characters seem unsmiling, staid and sluggish, and the scenes are minimalist and have stage effects. , Color, lighting, mirror movement, humor permeates between the lines, from time to time inadvertently humor or ridicule, and the interspersed music quality is still good, and even animal settings... Of course, there are many actors who have used actors. Appearance is also a must.
Without observing too closely, the audience will find that Aki’s handling of the film’s storyline has some new ideas. The two lines are very clear, but they are not eager to intertwined since the beginning of the film. Instead, they narrate in parallel in an orderly manner. It gives people an unrelated illusion of oneness. With the progress of plot narration and characterization, the two lines merge naturally and naturally, and they appear to be patchy and full of tension. The rhythm of the second half of the film is also Because of the intersection of these two lines, it becomes much faster, the relationship between the characters is also richer, and the image is more three-dimensional and vivid.
The protagonist of the immigration line, Syrian youth Khalid Ali, has finally come to Finland after all kinds of hardships. His appearance is a difficult but fascinating way, reminiscent of the old version of "A Tale of Two Cities" I saw when I was a child. A screen in the room. Afterwards, the illegal immigrant Ali, who wanted to obtain the right of abode, began to invest in various legal but complicated procedures, but was unable to do so... The middle-aged man Vikstrom, the protagonist of the Finnish indigenous line, is committed to changing the lives of himself and his wife. He ran away from home, dumped shirts, played casino games, bought restaurants, and kept saying: "I have no friends."
Not only Wickstrom, but the other employees in the restaurant in the film all seem to have no friends. These sullen-faced guys are either casual or serious, and they are full of casual amusement between their speech and behavior, such as responding to sanitary inspections. , For another example, if you want to change the restaurant on a whim, open a Japanese restaurant, the starting point is beautiful, the craftsmanship is learned and sold now, the service process is embarrassing, and the ending is predictable. These people can play small tricks to advance their salary, but in helping others, they are just as casual as usual. Rousseau said: "Charity can relieve the suffering of others more than money." When Wikstrom and employees When we discussed that Ali must be given an identity suitable for work and living, the expression and tone seemed to be as normal and natural as confirming the daily menu, and in the spirit of helping others to the end, they seemed to have "planned" with ease." "Single-person private car" smuggling.
The restaurant owner Vikstrom seems to be a staid and harsh ascetic system. His friendly attitude towards disadvantaged immigrants reminds La Bruyère's words: "The best satisfaction is to satisfy others." The so-called helping others and helping themselves , The warm assistance incident may also be the key to resolving the middle-aged crisis between Wickstrom and his wife.
In addition, I have some inexplicable favor for the title "Hope Is Beyond" which was translated into Hong Kong this time.
(Magazine manuscript)
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