JOURNEY OF HOPE
A film review by Thomas E. Billings
Copyright 1991 Thomas E. Billings
Synopsis: A low-income Turkish family leaves Turkey for a better life in Switzerland. Unfortunately, they are illegal immigrants and are preyed on by smugglers and other criminals on their trip. Their "journey of hope" turns into a desperate struggle for survival when they are abandoned in the Alps by a smuggler. A good story, but not told very well -- a generally mediocre film.
Switzerland (Turkish/German with English subtitles), color, 1990, 105 min. Director: Xavier Koller
The story is centered on a poor farmer in Turkey, and his family. He has received a postcard from a relative who emigrated to Switzerland, telling him that Switzerland is sort of a "paradise over the mountain" (paraphrased). He is determined to go to Switzerland, to find a better life, at any cost. To this end, he sells his cattle, sheep, and land to get the money he needs for false passports and to pay the smugglers.
However, his wife insists on taking the children (they have seven). Reluctantly, the husband agrees to take only one child, the youngest. The rest will remain in Turkey with his parents. They begin their journey, and things go smoothly at first. However, problems arise when they get to Istanbul -- there are no tickets or passport for the child. The story continues as the smugglers hide the family in a cargo container for the journey to Milan, next stop on their journey.
This film won the Academy Award for best foreign language film, competing with such films as JU DOU and CYRANO DE BERGERAC. Although I feel that the film industry grants so many awards that most are meaningless, I really hoped that this film would be better than average. Unfortunately, the film is very ordinary, and did not live up to expectations.
The last part of the film is relatively exciting, and many viewers will react to it emotionally. However, the problem with the film is the first part, which you must endure to get to the last part. In the first part, you see the farmer behaving in a completely irrational way. He is not wealthy, but he is able to support seven children from his small farm. Unfortunately, he is primarily interested in money; he and his wife argue on this point when he tells her they must leave the children behind, for an indefinite period. Where is his fatherly concern for his children? Is going to Switzerland worth the destruction of a family of nine?
The problem with the film is that there is insufficient characterization, particularly for the farmer whose actions drive the film. You see his mistakes and (frequent) irrational behavior, but the motives for his actions have not been sufficiently established. Because of this, you might not be fully sympathetic with the characters when they get into trouble.
I think that people will react to this film in one of two ways -- the "mind" approach given above, in which case you might view the film as a case study in irresponsible behavior, or the "heart" approach. By "heart", I mean that you will fully identify with the characters, in which case you might think the film is pretty good.
Even though it is mediocre/average, the film does illustrate the refugee and illegal immigration issues that are major political topics of the day. Some might consider the film worth seeing simply because it dramatizes those issues.
Overall, I think the film is definitely over-rated, and is only average (first part is below average, second part above average). Your reaction to the film may vary according to your interpretation of the (rationality of the) farmer's actions.
Distribution. General U.S. release occurs this month (May). The U.S. distributor is Miramax Films.
Reviewer contact: teb@stat.Berkeley.EDU
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