AND
PRESENT
THE OTHER SIDE OF HOPE
Oh mother, mother
Turn up the lamplight
I'll soon be dead
Leave this gang behind
Please buy me a fine white suit to wear
For I'll soon be sleeping
In the cold, dead ground
HOSTEL
One seventy-one.
Seventy-one.
Peace.
Khaled, from Syria.
Mazdak, from Iraq.
I got the cigarettes from him.
- Thank you. - Please come again.
This is all I can take. Times are bad.
- Care for a coffee? - Love to.
I'd like to change my business. Want to buy my stock?
At half the price, three thousand shirts.
No can do.
I'll quit myself next Christmas and move to Mexico City.
I'll drink sake and dance hula hula.
I need action after all this peace and quiet.
What business were you thinking of?
I've always liked restaurants. Theoretically speaking.
A profitable business. People drink if times are bad.
Even more if things go well.
I guess we won't see each other again, as I'll be going to Mexico.
This is my fifth Reception Centre in a year.
I have four children. Where are you from?
Sweida, Syria.
- Khaled Ali? - Yes.
Follow me.
I'm a mechanic.
I worked in a garage on the outskirts of Aleppo.
On 6th April last spring -
when I returned from work -
something had happened.
When I arrived home, it lay in ruins.
I don't know who fired the missile.
Government troops, rebels,
USA, Russia, Hezbollah or ISIS.
My sister Miriam arrived at the same time.
She'd been in the shop, queuing for bread.
We started to dig right away. The neighbours helped.
By morning we'd found my father, my mother, my little brother,
my uncle, his wife and their children. They'd been eating lunch together.
Next morning, when we'd buried them,
I borrowed 6,000 dollars from my employer.
My cousin drove us in a van to the Turkish border.
We crossed the border on foot.
We were lucky - there were no border guards.
After two weeks, we paid 3,000 dollars to a smuggler.
He took us to Greece in a boat.
From there we walked through Macedonia to Serbia.
We arrived to the Hungarian border.
There was a panic and I lost sight of Miriam.
I saw them close the border.
Miriam remained on the other side.
I tried to get back through the police line.
Two policemen grabbed me and threw me down.
They handcuffed me and put me in jail.
Did you experience violence?
All the time.
They tried to take my sister three times,
but good people helped us.
Why did the garage owner give you so much money?
He's the father of my fiancée.
Where is your fiancée now?
She died at the beginning of the war.
Continue.
You were thrown into jail.
I was beaten up, but released after four days.
I searched for my sister, but I couldn't find her.
I asked at all the refugee camps, but no one knew anything.
For two months, I went around Hungary, Austria, Slovenia and Germany.
I also went back to Serbia - I thought she might look for me there.
How did you get across borders?
Easily.
No one wants to see us.
We cause problems.
Didn't you apply for asylum anywhere?
No.
So I could move freely looking for my sister.
I know she's alive.
I feel it here.
Here's a photo of her.
Write down her name and her date of birth.
Describe her as well as you can.
We'll put out a search request for her.
Would you like to take a break?
Why?
Give us a fag.
Answer, arsehole.
My fist your face, shithead?
See you again, camel driver!
The key to the storage hall.
Let me know when it is empty.
Right.
Room for one more?
Stud poker.
Minimum bet one hundred.
No limit.
Pair of queens.
Two pair.
Pair of nines.
And...
Pair of tens. Two pair high.
Two hundred.
Five hundred.
I call.
Pair of tens.
Nothing.
Pair of fivers.
Nothing.
One hundred.
Enough for me.
I call.
Three tens.
Goodbye.
Why don't we end this game?
How much do you have?
Sixty thousand and small change.
New deck.
Six of clubs, ace high.
Three of clubs, aces high.
Two of clubs.
Pair of aces still high.
Five of clubs, possible straight flush.
Three aces.
Four aces. Straight flush wins.
Don't come back.
Don't worry. I won't.
BUSINESS AGENCY
- Wikström. - Vaittinen.
Here it is.
Like I said, what we don't have is not profitable.
Debt-free restaurant business.
Quite a good reputation.
At one location only right now.
Well, well. Within walking distance.
Restaurant Golden Pint. An excellent name.
Makes you thirsty right away.
Quite affordable leasehold at 1,400 per month.
Two employees, evidently competent-
they come along as long-standing employees.
How much?
Asking price is 30,000.
Quite reasonable for a business with an established clientele.
If you get clean papers from The Companies Register and the taxman,
we'll go and have a look.
I can do that within a minute.
Good relations with the authorities are the key to our business.
For the Tax Office I'm like a member of the family.
THE GOLDEN PINT
PLAT DU JOUR Fillet of Herring
Welcome, gentlemen.
Please step in.
Here again.
- Do furnishings come with the deal? - I think it can be arranged.
It'll have to do.
I'll pay 25,000.
- I'll ask the owner if it's enough. - I believe it is.
Congratulations. You got a fine place practically for free.
It is a goldmine. I'd never have parted with it,
had I not been forced to go on disability pension.
Trouble with the spine. A dab of paint and...
- Without doubt. - An excellent location.
Many wealthy students live in the area.
- What about back pay? - In your account by morning.
You know me.
I must cash the cheque first.
To the airport.
Your names.
- Calamnius. - Nyrhinen.
Kolehmainen, Mirja.
Who are the old employees that come with the deal?
We are.
- What about you? - A trainee. Unpaid, looks like.
How much would you like?
13,000 per month. Plus the extras.
Humour never hurts. Union wages, whatever they are.
How can we trust you then?
We need a name, at least.
- Wikström. - What about a first name?
- Plenty of Wikströms to go around. - Waldemar.
- Do your friends call you Wallu? - I have no friends.
Get to work.
Today's lunch is meatballs and boiled potatoes
or pepper sardines.
Sardines and a beer.
Sardines.
- That was quick. - We have a Fusion Kitchen.
Enjoy your meal?
- Yes, I do. - Good.
The rowanberries glow again
Red as spilled blood
Wedges of cranes have flown
Away o'er my head
Never took they me along
To far-off lands
Those without wings are bound
To stand on this grey cold ground
My sister is the night wind
She sings me her songs
And cold teardrops of the rain
Beat against dark windowpane
Many a traveller I see
Hurry past my abode
Once I waited for someone
She will never come
Director. May I come in?
I'm Calamnius. I'm at the door.
I still remember you. Sit down on the couch.
I'm not one for bad talk,
but as the shop steward I must tell you
that the previous owner was rather casual about pay.
I see. How did it show?
He didn't pay.
For the last three months. And some of us have a family.
- You, too? - I am a bachelor, by choice.
- But for instance Nyrhinen has a mother. - So you want an advance?
Yes, if...
All right.
I'd be grateful if you didn't mention this to the others.
You can rely on me.
Mazdak.
May I use your phone again?
How many times have I told you?
Of course, any time you wish.
I have to ask for another favour.
May I give your number to my cousin?
So he can call me if they find my sister.
Of course. Why do you even ask?
- Thanks. - You're welcome.
Hello. Hassaan?
Hi, Hassaan.
It's Khaled.
Thanks.
Tell me. Has Miriam called?
But how are you?
Where are you, still in Aleppo?
God help you.
- Here. - Any news?
Nothing new, same old shit.
My cousin and his family have fled to the Turkish border.
But they cannot cross it- they've closed the borders.
And no one knows about my sister.
Shall we go to a bar?
I'd like a beer or whatever these unbelievers drink.
That's a good shoemaker there.
Fixes shoes well, good with his hands.
And up here - not that one but over there -
that belongs to a friend of my cousin.
What would you like?
Two beers. Right away.
- Now? - Immediately!
First round is on the house.
- Thank you. - You're welcome.
- Where can we sit? - Anywhere.
How well you speak Finnish. What did you say?
I ordered two beers.
You were just like a local.
God will hear you.
There was a field by the lake
A cabin there with a hearth
There was a field by the lake
And a man in the field
It was spring and May-time
The trees all wore black
Nothing else on his mind
But to make the grain grow strong
This land is a hard stony land
And a land of long grey clouds
Though the Lord shows mercy on the ploughman
This land never will
This land is a hard stony land
And a land of long grey clouds
Though the Lord shows mercy on the ploughman
This land never will
Tall fearless crop of corn did grow
And the man in his mind
Quietly blessed his fortune
Never knowing what was to come
There were many a cold night!
It rained all August through
All his work was washed away
Wet corn gets frozen through
I think I'm going mad.
Why?
I've been here for a year already, and I don't go forward or backward.
I need a job.
What did you do in Iraq?
I was a nurse.
But my papers are no good here.
I cleaned a metro station for two months.
Two months, and that was it.
I'd need three jobs anyway to bring my family here.
I bring no joy to anyone.
I can't help myself so I could help others.
You seem happy and satisfied.
I pretend.
Those who are melancholy are the first to be sent back.
All melancholics are sent back.
I'm too young to die.
And I don't want to die yet.
Even the Imam said I'm worldly.
Even the Imam!
That's what saved me.
When they raided my home to get me, I was in town.
In the morning, I packed my bags and ran.
Should I pretend and smile, too?
Yes! Yes! It will help.
Just don't smile in the street, they might think you're crazy.
You'll get into trouble.
You confuse me. Should I smile or cry?
You'll understand later.
What is your religious denomination?
Are you a Sunni, a Shia, an Alawite...
I buried the Prophet and all gods along my family.
I'll write down "an atheist."
Whatever you want. But I'm not that, either.
I'll write down "no religion."
Why did you want to come to Finland?
I didn't.
In the Polish city of Gdansk,
skinhead Nazis attacked me in front of the port.
I had to run away. I hid aboard a cargo ship.
I was tired and fell asleep.
When I woke up the ship was already at sea.
A sailor found me.
He was a good man, he didn't tell the Captain.
He brought me food and drink.
Later he told me the ship was bound for Finland.
When I asked him about Finland,
he said it was a good country with equality for all.
That the Finns have had their own war.
That you've had your own refugees.
And you will never forget it, never.
Above all, this is a good country with good people.
What did you think?
I thought I was really lucky.
And now?
This is a country with no war.
I want to stay here.
Learn the language. Find a job.
Find my sister and bring her here, too.
To make sure she has a future.
What about yourself?
I don't matter.
I'll let you know if I hear about her.
God willing. Thanks.
Considering the development in Aleppo's security situation,
the number of acts of violence and deaths
in relation to Aleppo's large number of inhabitants,
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs considers that in the Aleppo region
there is no such conflict to cause
all the residents of the city
any serious personal danger described as grievous harm
in paragraph 88, subsection 1 of the Aliens Act.
Considering the security situation in Aleppo, your domicile
and your personal circumstances,
you require no subsidiary protection.
You will be flown tomorrow at the expense of the Republic of Finland
to Ankara in Turkey.
Turkish authorities will assist you to the Syrian border.
You will now be escorted back to the Reception Centre.
You may not leave it until you're taken to the airport tomorrow morning.
You have no right to appeal against this decision.
Next one.
He'll be repatriated tomorrow. See that he stays inside.
He'll stay here.
News from abroad. The UN considers the situation in Syria alarming.
Increased fighting has claimed several victims during the past 24 hours.
Yesterday Syrian troops made a bloody strike
against a children's hospital in Aleppo.
This is what a very fragile cease-fire looks like.
The fighting between Syrian troops and the rebels
has already claimed 61 victims during Wednesday and Thursday.
One of the most devastating strikes
was made against a children's hospital in Aleppo.
The Syrian government air strike claimed 27 victims.
The UN says that relief deliveries
will become more difficult should the fighting continue.
The cease-fire came and went.
The destruction of Aleppo continues without pause.
Supported by Russia, the Syrian Army has hammered
at the rebel-controlled Eastern Aleppo for days.
Everything is in short supply: food, fuel, medicine.
History at least will condemn the infamous killing
now going on in Syria for more than five years.
Random bombing of civilians with incendiaries
and especially effective bunker-buster bombs
is now considered a war crime.
Here's the number of Hassaan, my cousin.
Just in case, if you happen to holiday in our area.
I'll call you when I get a phone.
God willing, Khaled.
Khaled.
Could you play a little? I'm feeling low.
Excuse me. May I borrow your instrument?
Can you play it?
Please.
Transfer to the airport.
He's taking a shower. Some coffee while you wait?
Yes, please.
I play
Or I die
I play
Don't wonder why
If I'm lucky
This business works
But he never plays
Who's afraid
I can sail
Away from the city
To Gambia or Venezuela
But you'll never get Sörkka out of me
Even when
I die
I play
Or I die
I play
Don't wonder why
If I'm lucky
The systems work
But he never plays
Who's afraid
I'll hang around here
As long as
The Station clock
In its tower ticks
I'll be swinging here
As long as
The number seven tram
Rolls down its tracks
I play
Or I die...
A better idea.
Hot dog.
Go to hell, jerks.
Next time, you'll die.
What's the matter with you?
What's that?
That's Koistinen.
Get it out of here.
You have until tomorrow.
Who might you be?
A sorry tale Kale has to tell.
What do we do about him?
Won't last long in the street with that frame.
Managed to surprise me. Dropped him, though.
Could've turned the freezer off.
But he won't fit, not even sideways.
He can't live here anyway. I need my peace and quiet too.
Am I a nature's freak that won't long for privacy?
Don't I bleed and die when I am poisoned?
Am I the least of the least?
And what does that make of me? You being the director.
At least you know your place.
Razzia.
I understand. Action.
You can open now.
Welcome, but we won't open until nine.
There's coffee if you care to wait.
Lunch will be served at eleven.
Dish of the day is fishballs à la maison.
Area Control Centre.
We will also do a fire inspection.
Identification papers for everyone, refrigeration control report.
I believe the Fire Chief will want to see the emergency exits.
Our customers seldom want to leave once they're in.
Wikström.
Nice to meet you. We haven't met before.
I've just bought the place.
I haven't had the opportunity to meet the authorities concerned.
But my staff is up to date. Care to have something?
Thank you, but let's handle the official business first.
Identity papers.
- The law says a Finnish citizen won't... - You look like a foreigner.
Can I bring them later?
Tolerable.
We just have to rebuild the dining hall and the kitchen.
It's soon nine o'clock. Guess we should open.
- What about Khaled? - What about him?
- Can we let him out now? - Sure. I forgot all about the guy.
Kale needs papers, legal or illegal.
Can't keep the doors locked, business will suffer.
Let's throw Kale out and go on as before.
Let's throw you out.
That wouldn't solve the problem.
My nephew is a genius.
Seems to run in the family.
With computers. He'll slog out an identity for Kale in 15 minutes.
Ask him here.
Can you do it?
Like taking candy from a kid. How much do I net?
- Not much. - A grand.
It buys him a history back to the Invasion of Normandy.
He's not that old.
The fee's the same even if he's born tomorrow.
Done. What do you call yourself?
Winston will have to do.
- When can you begin? - Immediately.
The Civil Registry security is not just pathetic, it's non-existent.
That's the best I can do.
Khalid Hussein was granted asylum -
residence and work permits last October.
Bucks on the table.
We could make you younger, too.
- At least on paper. - Get lost.
Identity papers, please.
Routine check. Have a nice day.
You, too.
Mazdak.
Khaled!
How are you?
Good. I can't stay for long.
- Has anyone asked for me? - Just the police.
Has Hassaan called? Anything about my sister?
Nothing. But I told everyone here.
If anyone hears anything, they will tell me.
But where do you live now?
I work at a restaurant called The Golden Pint.
- Wonderful! - Listen. I fell in love with Finland.
But if you find a way out of here I'd be really grateful.
God willing.
I don't know how to thank you.
- Take care. - Take care of yourself.
Business is not too good, considering the processes.
I think we're doing good.
Mr Director, forgive me for asking.
Have you considered dance music as part of our operating strategy?
A brilliant idea. ls that what you'd do?
Absolutely.
Then we should consider it.
I think Calamnius talks sense.
And we couldn't go any lower even if we tried.
Beer sells well, other sales are negligible.
We need to develop the food side.
Why?
What would be trendy?
Sushi. Absolutely.
My cousin runs a sushi restaurant.
Is that why you ended up here?
I asked him. A favour for a friend.
- Couldn't do any worse? - Not at the time.
Welcome.
Please.
What would you like?
Four Sushi Platters.
We're out of miso soup.
Use cabbage. Any mushroom will do.
Twenty Nigiri Sushi Platters.
- Director. - Yes?
We're out of salmon, Whitefish too.
Already? How much did you buy?
Half a kilo of both. I never guessed...
Give sake to everyone, on the house.
What do we have?
Meatballs won't do.
SALTED HERRING
- I was saving this for the summer. - Since when?
- Wasabi will hide the taste of salt. - Get on it then.
You go home. I'll clean up myself.
PLAT DU JOUR
MEATBALLS 8€ FISHBALLS WITH SAUCE 9,50€
In the dusky evening shade
Again I and my longing stay
Much did the day bring
Still it now feels wasted
The quiet tune of a memory
Plays longingly in my soul
Reminding me of the past
And how you went away, my love
Wherever, whenever
My little darling goes
I hear the whisper
Of the evening wind
Consoling, caressing me
Astray out there on the cold trail
My darling you will go
My soul is yearning, hoping that my love will come...
- What's up, Chef Khaled? - How are you, brother?
Well, thank you. A wonderful job!
Guess what?
Hassaan called 15 minutes ago. Your sister's been found.
That's all right. When should I go?
As soon as possible. Situations keep changing.
I need a load, at least to Lithuania. Or it'll look odd.
How will the girl trust me?
An address wouldn't hurt.
Nothing in the back. Didn't get a return load.
Open it anyway.
OK, you can go.
Miriam.
Khaled.
Thank you for this. What do I owe you?
I took a fine load there.
I won't take money for this.
I was worried about you.
Why should I lie?
I've been a nervous wreck.
I wrecked my nerves trying to think of how to help you.
I was lost, but good people helped me.
A family from Afghanistan practically adopted me.
Although I'm older than any of their seven children.
Miriam.
We're the only ones left of our family.
I hope you can bear it.
Don't worry, I'm my mother's daughter.
Dying is easy, but I'd like to live.
Did I tell you about the young man who did my papers?
It is like magic.
He can make you a new life.
No, Khaled. There's no need.
I don't want to change my name.
I want to keep my identity.
I'll go and report myself tomorrow.
As you wish.
I'll take you to Mirja,
and tomorrow we'll escort you to the police.
You're the best brother in the world.
Remember how I teased you as a child?
When you were really thin.
No, I don't.
I warned you, Jewboy.
Is that you?
What would you like? I'm about to lock up.
It's just me.
I haven't drank a drop since you left.
I set up this kiosk.
Would you like something?
I don't need anything, but... I can drive you home.
- How have you been? - Fine.
A bit lonely. You?
I've founded a profitable restaurant. I need a headwaiter.
I've kept this.
If you still want...
Wait a sec.
Khaled!
Miriam.
Go to the reception desk. They will tell you what to do.
Tell them you're directly seeking asylum.
Will you wait for me?
I have to go now.
We'll see in the evening.
Go now.
IN MEMORY OF PETER VON BAGH