The Kindness of Strangers - Kleine Wunder unter Fremden

The understated quality of this movie might be why it hasn't received better reviews. I don't think it means to be a treatise on homelessness or a precise rendition of the conditions thereof (an assumption I've seen some high profile critics make). That's a fate that befalls one of the characters and her two children, part of an ensemble whose interlinked stories together make a case for empathy and impulsive altruism being among the most admirable aspects of human nature.

Homelessness is one thematic layer to a story that investigates kindness as the social glue that matters most and is possibly also the most underrated of dispositions or inclinations, often being seen as weak or oversensitive. Personally, I found it a lovely film, quite moving in places with its acknowledgment that, without kindness and the generosity of strangers, society would fall apart.

"What about you, Bonnie? Did you get manage to get through the week without hitting your dog?" Lone Scherfig has a unique fingerspitzengefühl and an absolute pitch for the distress of life. She has composed a breathtaking tale about a collection of odd existences colliding in the New York winter. A statement about life's many adversities but where goodness always triumphs in the end. A theme that the film industry is in dire need of.

It's a must see.

It is a moving movie; it has a very good plot and quality performances; it is too undervalued; I highly recommend it.

Brilliant story, brilliant acting, brilliant directing. I don't understand why this movie has a low rating. From the very beginning, it captures you, quite sad at some point but it just kept getting better. A well deserving ending I must say.

The core story is about a young mother of two boys, married to an abusive policeman. They live outside the city and as the movie starts Zoe Kazan as Clara is driving into the city with the boys, her explanation is they are taking a short vacation.

In reality she is getting away from her abusive husband, desperate for a way out and to a better life for her and the boys. In the process things happen and her survival depends on the kindness of strangers. A nurse who leads a self-help group, workers at a soup kitchen, a manager of a Russian restaurant, and assorted others.

The success of the movie depends on how Zoe Kazan carries her part and she carries it well. Good movie for anyone who has an interest in human relations.

We watched it on Amazon movies via ROKU streaming.