Details

Release year: 1996

Storyline

The recession hits a couple in Helsinki.

Top credits

Directors

Aki Kaurismäki

Writers

Aki Kaurismäki

Cast

Kati Outinen — Ilona Koponen
Kari Väänänen — Lauri Koponen
Elina Salo — Rouva Sjöholm
Sakari Kuosmanen — Melartin

See all 165 credits →

Did you know

• Dedicated to the memory of Matti Pellonpää (who was frequently cast by director Aki Kaurismäki) for whom the main role was originally intended. The child who can be seen in the photo is Pellonpää, a homage.

• The film was originally meant to be a direct sequel to Shadows in Paradise (1986), with Matti Pellonpää reprising his famous role as Nikander. Since Pellonpää died during pre-production, Aki Kaurismäki rewrote the entire script. However, the characters played by Kati Outinen and Sakari Kuosmanen still retain the names they had in the previous film (Ilona and Melartin, respectively).

• Although most of the films directed by Aki Kaurismäki take place in Helsinki, which is a bilingual city, this is the first of his movies where someone speaks Swedish.

User reviews

⭐ 9/10

Gloomy but good

👍 41 · 2/10/2005

⭐ 9/10

We'll eat wallpaper. People lived on it before.

👍 22 · 9/16/2005

⭐ 9/10

This film is about survival and loss of selfrespect and the struggle to regain it. I find it very warm and positive. An exploration into the mind of northern Europe and the old values.

👍 18 · 5/9/2001