Review of Hope Aur Hum (2018) by Duncan M — 23 Sep 2018

It is so surprising that this film has such lacklustre reviews. It is a wonderfully vivid picture of stages in life - the very young and the very old. It captures the fears of an old person having to face changes, becoming obsolete and losing friends. These hard issues are captured in a very soft light, pictured through the grandfather's relationship with his archaic photocopy device, a 100 year old Mr. Soennecken. This storyline is intertwined with a quietly dramatic picture of a young boy's cheery life, interrupted by a terrible discovery. Instead of melodrama or horror, the film makers help us remember those early years where guilt silenced us and childhood could swing from pleasure to powerlessness. In all of this, the film moves along gently and sweetly, capturing how family is a unit, but in that unit every member faces very personal, solitary challenges.

It has not been well received in its country of origin, maybe because of its lack of modernity, but it fits very well into the category being created by International films such as A Separation and My Happy Family. When we tire of Hollywood and its oversaturated pallette, these quiet slices from across the world are a tonic and a delight. A very subtle success.