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Khaled (Sherwan Haji) is a young Syrian refugee who has fled his war-torn home and, after hopping from country to country looking for his sister after they got separated at one border, ends up on a cargo boat bound to Helsinki. He decides to do things properly here, after previously avoiding the authorities, and heads to the police station to register himself as an asylum seeker. This doesn't go very well though and he is forced to hide out as an illegal immigrant. Second narrative concerns Wikstrom (Sakari Kuosmanen), an ageing shirt salesman who leaves his wife and decides to sell his stock, gamble the proceeds on a high stakes poker game and use all this cash to open a restaurant. This all goes largely to plan and he ends up being the new owner of a mildly popular but ramshackle bar called the Golden Pint, which comes with a motley crew of staff in with the deal. After a while the two stories intertwine of course, as Wikstrom decides to help out the hard-done-by Khaled, who's avoiding the authorities and still looking for his sister.

Director: Aki Kaurismaki
Cast: Ville Virtanen, Kati Outinen, Dome Karukoski, Sherwan Haji
Country: Finland, Germany
Genre: Comedy, Drama

BD50, DVD9 | 1080p AVC, NTSC | 01:40:12 | 45.7 Gb + 7.19 Gb + 3% rec
Language: Suomi
Subtitles: English

Extras:

• Sherwan Haji - in this new video interview, actor Sherwan Haji explains how he was cast to play the character of Sherwan Haji in The Other Side of Hope and discusses his work with director Aki Kaurismaki and his real life journey from Syria to Finland. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2017. In English, not subtitled. (15 min, 1080p).

• Aki Kaurismaki at the Berlin Film Festival - presented here is footage from the press conference that was held after the premiere of The Other Side of Hope the Berlin Film Festival where the film won Silver Bear Award for Best Director. The panel is: Aki Kaurismaki and actors Sakari Kuosmanen and Sherwan Haji. In English. (29 min, 1080i).

• Aki and Peter - The Other Side of Hope is dedicated to Aki Kaurismaki's longtime friend and collaborator, the film critic and festival programmer Peter von Bagh. In this new video essay, filmmaker Daniel Raim explores Aki Kaurismaki's oeuvre through the words of Peter von Bagh. In Finnish and English, with optional English subtitles where necessary.(12 min, 1080p).

• Music Videos - four music videos with full versions of the songs that are heard in The other Side of Hope.

• Trailer - In English, Arabic and Finnish, with imposed English subtitles where necessary. (2 min, 1080p).