Details

Release year: 2023

Storyline

In modern-day Helsinki, two lonely souls in search of love meet by chance in a karaoke bar. However, their path to happiness is beset by obstacles - from lost phone numbers to mistaken addresses, alcoholism, and a charming stray dog.

Top credits

Directors

Aki Kaurismäki

Writers

Aki Kaurismäki

Cast

Alma Pöysti — Ansa Grönholm
Jussi Vatanen — Holappa
Janne Hyytiäinen — Hannes Huotari
Nuppu Koivu — Liisa

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Did you know

• The film Ansa and Holappa see in the cinema is The Dead Don't Die (2019), which was directed by Jim Jarmusch. Jarmusch has said he has been influenced by Kaurismäki, appearing in Leningrad Cowboys Go America (1989) and set part of his own film Night on Earth (1991) in Finland, where he used several of Kaurismäki's regular actors.

• The band playing in the karaoke bar are called Maustetytöt, which translates as 'Spice Girls'.

• In a December 2023 interview with Matthew Jacobs, for Vulture, Alma Pöysti said that the dog that played her character's dog belongs to the movie's director Aki Kaurismäki, and its name is also Alma. She has high praise for the canine performer: "We got along so well. We were playing around a lot before we started to shoot. I visited her and always got her some treats. It just turned out that she's a fantastic actress, and very professional. She's got a really high level of concentration. This is her debut, but she has a sense of rhythm. She was making these very strong artistic choices that were completely independent. If you're the director's dog, you can get away with stuff like that."