10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A TRIP TO REMEMBER..., September 29, 2001
This review is from: Journey of Hope [VHS] (VHS Tape)
This is the story of a simple, ill educated, impoverished Kurdish family, who live in Turkey, where Kurds are a disenfranchised people. This family has a cousin who lives and works in Switzerland, and, upon hearing from him via a postcard, are led to believe that he is doing very well, indeed. Seeking to better their circumstances and those of their many children, they decide to leave Turkey and look to Switzerland for a new beginning. The husband and wife, who head up the family, decide to leave all their children behind, except for one, a son, whom they will take with them on this arduous journey to Switzerland, where they hope to be able to make a new and better life that will allow them to send for their other children.
Unfortunately, they must resort to illegal means to gain entry to Switzerland and are forced to trust in smugglers, whom they have paid to get them to their destination. The husband is totally at sea outside his known environment, a trusting and naive soul, at the mercy of scoundrels. After a trip by rail and truck, the smugglers, knowing that the elements are against them, abandon these three unfortunate souls, along with others also seeking to enter Switzerland, in the Alps. Giving them vague directions, they abandon them knowing that they are possible sentencing them to death in so doing. Ill dressed for the mountain weather, ill prepared for such a journey, essentially mountain climbing, encumbered with luggage containing their few remaining, meager belongings, these poor, desperate people continue on a journey for which they had not bargained. Along the way, they encounter freezing cold, loss of property, Swiss border guards, and death.
What happens to the Kurdish family, in particular, is heartbreaking and will forever consign them to a lifetime of infinite despair. Beautifully acted with well felt pathos and superbly directed, this is a wonderful film of hope. As so often happens in real life, however, that hope clashes with reality. This is a remarkable and moving film.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Extraordinary!, December 14, 2000
This review is from: Journey of Hope [VHS] (VHS Tape)
"Journey of Hope" is one of the most moving, life affirming, and life changing films I've ever seen. After I first saw this movie, I was devastated for days afterwards and it still lingers on even today. The amount of love and heartbreak are enormous so be prepared to be emotionally impacted in a way that few movies can even come close to. Despite the tragedy, this IS an uplifting film. The subtitles certainly do not get in the way and the visuals are so incredibly stunning that it wouldn't matter if they did really. In addition, I dare you not to be greatly affected by the ending of this extraordinary film.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great story telling, December 19, 1999
This review is from: Journey of Hope [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Being Swiss and remembering the day when the story happened and was broadcasted in all newspaper, this movie captures all what I felt at that time. It tells the story with care and insight, and does not try to be too emotional. This movie was brilliant in story telling (of a TRUE story).
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