Visiting Hours

In this moving drama premiered at Cannes Directors' Fortnight, two women meet each other by chance when both of them try to meet their husbands during the prison's visiting hours. The social backgrounds of both women are completely different, and one would think that they would have nothing in common with each other. Yet, the movie delightfully shows that people have a deep desire to understand other people. Alma (Isabelle Huppert), who is clearly in a more privileged position, decides to take care of Mina (Hafsia Herzi), who seems lonely.

Even though Alma is a rich surgeon's wife who is doing well in life and Mina is a practically poor single mother at this point, they can both relate to each other's loneliness. The film manages to depict universal feelings that we all experience despite our different starting points. Still, the viewer is going to ask: are there things we cannot control that will eventually drive us apart?

Juho Lipponen