FILM REVIEWS

“Journey of Hope,” the surprise winner of the Best Foreign Language Oscar, is a melodrama directed by Xavier Koller, who co-wrote the script with Feride Cicekoglu.

Inspired by facts, the tale describes the hardships of a family of Turkish farmers, an impoverished couple and their son, who sell all of their possessions in order to fund an escape to  Switzerland, where they hope to have a better life—and find work.

On the road, they are disastrously captured by a group of smugglers, who take them to Switzerland through an illegal and dangerous mountain pass.

“Journey of Hope” was a poignant and timely film, dealing with Europe’s “guest workers” (as they were known.  Inevitably, the film alluded to the problem of Mexican (and other) illegal immigrants in the U.S,

Oscar Nominations: 1

Best Foreign Language Picture

Oscar Awards:

Foreign Language

Oscar Context:

The other contenders in this category were all superior to the winner: “Cyrano De Bergerac” from France, “Ju Dou” from China, “Nasty Girl” from Germany, and “Open Door” from Italy.