Quartile rating: 8/10 · 1 rating
Nikander, a rubbish collector and would-be entrepreneur, finds his plans for success dashed when his business associate dies. One evening, he meets Ilona, a down-on-her-luck cashier, in a local supermarket. Falteringly, a bond begins to develop between them.
Aki Kaurismäki's debut feature is a quintessential expression of his singular deadpan minimalism — sparse dialogue, static framing, and melancholic working-class tenderness shot in muted Helsinki tones by Timo Salminen. The cinematography is quietly masterful, and the film's conception is utterly distinctive: no other filmmaker was making films quite like this in 1986. The plot is deliberately thin and episodic, which suits the tone but limits dramatic engagement, and the acting, while perfectly calibrated to Kaurismäki's restrained style, is intentionally affectless rather than conventionally accomplished. The ending is bittersweet and understated, true to the film's spirit but not particularly surprising within its own logic.