Bob Strauss April 12, 2021Updated: April 12, 2021, 6:45 pm
Andrea Bræin Hovig and Stellen Skarsgard in “Hope.” Photo: Agnete Brun
Cancer dramas are not fun in the best of times. So why watch one – in Norwegian – after more than a year of coping with a worldwide plague?
Because “Hope” is a joyous thing. Which is not to say that the movie is a treacly celebration of life; 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.
“Hope,” available to stream through the Roxie’s virtual cinema Friday, April 16, is equal parts harrowing and affirming. Set during a 10-day period around Christmas that starts with an apparent death sentence, the film unwraps gorgeous feelings and difficult truths with marvelous dexterity for two masterfully staged hours.