Aki Kaurismäki, Trilogía del proletariado

Matti Pellonpää

Kati Outinen

Sakari Kuosmanen

Esko Nikkari

Kylli Köngäs

Pekka Laiho

Jukka-Pekka Palo

Svante Korkiakoski

Mari Rantasila

Safka Pekkonen

Antti Ortamo

Mato Valtonen

Sakke Järvenpää

Ulla Kuosmanen

Neka Haapanen

Pentti Koski

Ari Korhonen

Teuvo Rissanen

Erkki Rissanen

Sirkka Silin

Marina Martinoff

Jussi Tiitinen

Riikka Kuosmanen

Eskil Mansikka

Jaakko Talaskivi

Haije Alanoja

Bertta Pellonpää

Helmeri Pellonpää

Malla Hukkanen

Aki Kaurismäki

Olli Varja

Tanja Talaskivi

Jukka Mäkinen

Raija Talvio

Mika Kaurismäki

Heikki Ortamo

Timo Markko

Mikko Mattila

Juuso Hirvikangas

Heikki Ukkonen

Jukka Nykänen

Jouko Lumme

Eila Karkkunen

Timo Salminen

Pertti Hilkamo

Kjell Westman

Timo Nousiainen

Tuula Hilkamo

Leena Kouhia Rinne

Pauli Pentti

Comedy

Drama

Romance

Varjoja paratiisissa

Villealfa Filmproductions

Finland

Released in 1986, Aki Kaurismaki's Varjoja paratiisissa (Shadows in Paradise) is one of the Finnish filmmaker's earliest efforts, and it stands as one of the most idiosyncratic romantic comedies of all time. The painfully shy Nikander (Matti Pellonpää), a garbage man, means the moody Ilona, a supermarket checkout girl. The film tracks their bumbling attempt to establish a lasting relationship: dates that end as soon as they've begun, a romantic getaway where they each retreat to separate hotel rooms, and rare conversations which employ the absolute bare minimum of words. Nikander's best and only friend Melartin (Sakari Kuosmanen), whom the garbage man only recently met through a spell in jail, gives some needed encouragement.

The film's soundtrack is rooted in early rock-and-roll, though unlike later Kaurismaki films where the characters seem to be living in a 1950s bubble, all the action takes place in contemporary Helsinki. I've criticized Kaurismaki's vision of Finland in other films, but Varjoja paratiisissa does, in my opinion, accurately depict the collection of gloomy, taciturn binge drinkers that are the Finns.

Varjoja paratiisissa is an early work and doesn't show the confidence of later efforts, but it's still quite entertaining, its leads and their struggles extremely charming, and I would recommend the film. Certainly the performances of Pellonpää (in a typical Pellonpää role) and Outinen (who seemingly reinvents herself in every film) will prove quite memorable.

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English

Shadows in Paradise

Shadows in Paradise

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