Hope

"Representative of Norway to compete for the Best International Film Oscar in 2021, 'Håp' is an intense and sensitive family drama about communication, relationships, struggles and support. The film's screenplay is based on director Maria Sødahl's life story, and the intimacy with the theme is translated onto the screen with great care, without falling into clichés or manipulative attempts to create emotion, everything is presented in a very honest and even raw way, and the emotion is inevitable precisely due to the explicit sincerity in the film. Added to the strong script and masterful direction, the film also features stellar performances by Andrea Bræin Hovig and Stellan Skarsgård, who do a great job embodying the characters and overflowing chemistry on screen. Unlike what is normally found in dramas involving terminal illnesses, here we have a loving and bittersweet film that encompasses various family dynamics with understanding and veracity, in an original and mature way."