Hope
Kimstim Films | Release Date: April 16, 2021 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
87
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 17 Critic Reviews
Positive:
16
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
RogerEbert.comGodfrey CheshireApr 16, 2021
To be sure, cancer may not sound like an inviting cinematic subject, especially to families and individuals who—like this writer—have been faced with its sometimes-overwhelming trials. Yet the effect of Hope is anything but depressing; it’s reassuring proof of art’s ability to comfort as it clarifies. Read full review
100
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleApr 14, 2021
Hope isn’t about getting you to cry, even as some of its characters occasionally do, but rather giving you an invigorating, even uplifting sense of what hearts can do under duress; nothing is forcibly tragic here, just experienced fully and openly. Read full review
100
San Francisco ChronicleBob StraussApr 13, 2021
It’s an ode to the satisfactions of facing life head-on with whatever time you have left. And writer-director Maria Sødahl semi-autobiographical drama earns every iota of its hard-won uplift. Read full review
91
The Film StageJared MobarakMar 1, 2021
Unconcerned with happy or sad endings (or endings at all beyond the desire for one to be shared and enjoyed to its fullest), [Sødahl] focuses instead on the unbridled emotions that swirl within us on the difficult journeys through tragedy. Nothing is out of bounds. Read full review
90
Film ThreatAlex SavelievApr 15, 2021
Like its central performance, Hope manages to convey and dissect so much with (seemingly) so little: the way real struggle makes us realize how much we love, truly see, and trust each other; the hidden reserves of human perseverance in the face of certain death; the healing power of art; and hope, of course. Hope and despair give life meaning, one unable to exist without the other. Read full review
90
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisApr 15, 2021
Raw, melancholy and unquestionably mature, Hope understands that some wounds may never be healed. Even so, it takes a brave movie to hold that stance until its very last second. Read full review
90
Screen DailyStephen Whitty Mar 1, 2021
A warm gathering of Scandinavian artists, with Sweden’s Skarsgård and Norway’s Hovig both excelling under Norwegian director Maria Sødahl’s attentive care. Read full review
90
VarietyJay WeissbergMar 1, 2021
Sødahl’s skill at making gesture and its absence count in the most subtle ways is an essential component in our investment with these protagonists, thanks to the superbly understated camerawork of Lars von Trier’s regular DP Manuel Alberto Claro. Read full review
88
Boston GlobeTy BurrApr 21, 2021
Writer-director Sødahl expertly balances the sentimental and the acerbic, the grave and the altar. But Hope lives or dies on its central performances, and they are perfectly realized. Read full review
88
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzMar 1, 2021
Director Maria Sodahl tracks the couple’s story over the course of only one Christmas break, but the film is more a chronicle of one family’s entire existence. Skarsgard, by the way, is typically excellent – it’s just that he mostly, and graciously, cedes the screen to Hovig, who is given much more to do and handles it with aplomb. Read full review
88
Movie NationRoger MooreMar 1, 2021
Bræin Hovig and Skarsgård take us into their confidence as they make these choices, decisions, promises and compromises. The wonder of Hope is how much of that they do without dialogue, just with a look, a gesture, a silent scream of despair or teeth grinding in resignation. Read full review
80
EmpireIan FreerDec 10, 2021
Perhaps the most ironic title of 2021, Hope isn’t filmmaking to set the pulses racing. Instead it’s a quiet, nuanced study of how a couple who have drifted apart deal with the direst of circumstances, perfectly played by Andrea Bræin Hovig and Stellan Skarsgård. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyMar 1, 2021
It's the integrity of the performances by Hovig and Skarsgard that keeps the classy drama so engrossing, with the director making neither character entirely saint or sinner but giving them both infinite shadings in between. Read full review
80
Film ThreatHunter LanierMar 1, 2021
There’s much to like about Hope, but it’s the honesty I liked best. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineDerek SmithApr 12, 2021
Maria Sødahl’s considers the extreme emotions provoked by a medical emergency with an impressive force of clarity. Read full review
75
SlashfilmJason GorberMar 1, 2021
Thanks to some fantastic performances and a patient, well-crafted script, this is a film that should find international audiences interested in some truly adult storytelling. There’s enough originality and sophistication here that an English language redux wouldn’t be unheard of, making one hope that any translation maintains the craft and elegance of Sødahl’s presentation. Read full review
60
The GuardianPeter BradshawDec 9, 2021
There is something, for me, unrevealing about the drama, and almost sentimental about the final moments. But Hovig and Skarsgård are both very good. Read full review
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