HOPE

Norway

2019, 2h 5m, Norway / Sweden / Denmark
Director: Maria Sødahl
Cast: Andrea Bræin Hovig, Stellan Skarsgård
Genre: Drama/Romance

What happens to love when a woman in the middle of her life gets three months left to live? Anja lives with Tomas in a large family of biological children and stepchildren. For a number of years the two adults have grown independent of each other, with creative jobs in parallel worlds. When Anja gets a terminal cancer diagnosis, their modern life breaks down and exposes neglected love. Alone with her grief and her fears, Anja realizes that she needs Tomas’ full help and support. It’s their only chance. How else will their children find the strength once she is gone, if their parents are unable to weather the storm together? Anja and Tomas are thrown into a crash course in mutual trust, and eventually a joint struggle, to deal with this unexpected and premature death. By getting to know each other anew, they unconsciously become principal characters in a love story, finally learning to truly love each other after a long life spent together. Official Selection: Toronto International Film Festival 2019, and Berlin International Film Festival 2020.

All films at CEFF are presented in their original language with English subtitles.

Globe Cinema: Sunday, November 6 at 2:00 pm (Cinema 1)
Stream: Nov 5-13, 2022 across Canada