Jayne Nelson Radio Times Dec 7, 2023 3/5

Sødahl's loose, eavesdropping style helps to convey both the highs and lows in an intimate way that never feels forced or gratuitous, making for a film that is bold, unusual and even, at times, uplifting.

Go to Full Review

Keith Garlington Keith & the Movies Aug 17, 2022 4.5/5

A deeply affecting relationship drama anchored by two unforgettable performances.

Go to Full Review

Edward Porter Sunday Times (UK) Dec 12, 2021 4/5

Though the set-up might still seem a contrived excuse for drama, the characters are believable. Hovig and Skarsgard are both excellent.

Go to Full Review

Markie Robson-Scott The Arts Desk Dec 10, 2021 5/5

You take nothing for granted in this honest, beautiful movie, which never strays into sentimental terminal-romance territory and is shot by Lars von Trier's regular DP Manuel Alberto Claro.

Go to Full Review

Rosalynn Try-Hane Liquid Marmalade Dec 10, 2021

Hope is a sublime piece of filmmaking.

Go to Full Review

Rob Aldam Backseat Mafia Dec 9, 2021

A powerful and empathetic film about living.

Go to Full Review

Peter Bradshaw Guardian Dec 7, 2021 3/5

Hovig and Skarsgård are both very good.

Go to Full Review

Brian Viner Daily Mail (UK) Dec 3, 2021 4/5

A cleverly forensic study of a long-lasting but rather stale relationship, and the effect on it of terminal illness.

Go to Full Review

Witney Seibold Critically Acclaimed Podcast Sep 14, 2021

Just like the emotion of the title, 'Hope' can hurt.

Go to Full Review

Leslie Combemale AWFJ.org Jun 27, 2021 5/5

There is a languid way Sødahl films the scenes, which show her comfort with silences & trust in the performers, that allows an authenticity rarely seen in stories about disease and death.

Go to Full Review

Harvey S. Karten Shockya.com May 2, 2021 B

Norway may be the world's happiest country, but this film, full of insight, shows that some individual Norwegians do not share in the joy.

Go to Full Review

Tom Meek Cambridge Day Apr 23, 2021

...matters shift in surprising, emotional sways.

Go to Full Review

Nicholas Bell IONCINEMA.com Apr 23, 2021 3/5

Maria Sødahl's third film in twenty years of narrative filmmaking remains a potent example of how such despairing realities still reveal the necessity and importance of the innately human titular emotion.

Go to Full Review

Kyle Smith National Review Apr 22, 2021

The final scenes of the movie are beautiful, enchanting even: Sodahl's screenplay is, in that Scandinavian way, clipped and delicate, but the images say everything.

Go to Full Review

Ty Burr Boston Globe Apr 22, 2021 3.5/4

The movie offers hope to its characters but, even more affectingly, to us.

Go to Full Review

Edwin Arnaudin Asheville Movies Apr 22, 2021 B

There are no gimmicks or twists to be found here - just a straightforward terminal illness drama that allows genuine emotions to shine through in every interaction.

Go to Full Review

Randy Myers San Jose Mercury News Apr 22, 2021 3.5/4

Andrea Bræin Hovig and Stellan Skarsgard are transcendent.

Go to Full Review

Ellie Lucas In Review Online Apr 21, 2021

Hope is not an easy film; its emotions are ragged and raw and unvarnished by the Hollywood sheen that so often covers films about lovers facing impending tragedy.

Go to Full Review

Claudia Puig FilmWeek (LAist) Apr 21, 2021

This is a very well-acted, well-written Norwegian drama... Clear-eyed, insightful, and heartfelt.

Go to Full Review

Leah Greenblatt Entertainment Weekly Apr 18, 2021 A-

The full, flawed humanity of Hovid and Skarsgard's characters is imbued in nearly every scene, even their smallest interactions bearing the full weight of a long romantic history.

Go to Full Review