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So, I saw the new film by Aki on friday. It completes the "Finland" trilogy started by Drifting Clouds and Man Without a Past. The first part was about unemployment, the second about homelessness, so this last part is about loneliness.

On the whole, I loved the film. As one could expect, it's stylistically and thematically similiar to older Aki films, sometimes even to the point that it almost seems like he's parodying his work. The dialogue is cut down to the absolute minimum, as are any facial expressions of the characters, with few exceptions.

Whereas Drifting Clouds and Man Without a Past both were films with strong themes of solidarity between members of the working class and the good nature of people, one finds very little of either in Laitakaupungin Valot. The hero, Koistinen, who works as a securityguard, is made fun of by his fellow workers, is ignored by his employers and eventually betrayed in the most horrible sense imaginable by a woman whom he falls in love with. Still, I find it hard to describe the film as particularily depressing, as it seems more focused on showing how in the end, it's impossible to defeat a character like Koistinen. He can take whatever punishment is dealt upon him, be it a beating or a jail sentence. And maybe in the end, his luck turns for the better. That's left to the imagination of the viewer.

I doubt this'll be as popular as The Man Without a Past was, as this isn't nearly as friendly to the audiences, but it's certainly amongst the finest works by Aki so far.

It's called VARTJA I believe.

Somehow I doubt it, as VARTIJA is finnish for securityguard, and would atleast in my opinion make a rather poor english title for a film.

That was the name sent to us by the distributor. Of course, it could have just been a tentative title.

Very, very excited to see this, but it'll probably be a good year before it makes it to Seattle....

What a terrific little film this is. An alarming number of reviews (such as Variety's) appear to have dismissed Lights as slight, possibly as a reaction to the tension that arises between the narrative's largely conventional strategy (plenty of incident here) and Kaurismäki's customarily undramatic inclination toward the everyday. His formal style is again a joy, and Lights is stuffed with immaculate deadpan compositions. And, as a smoker facing a widespread public ban and other such nonsense, Kaurismäki's cinema is emphatically refreshing!

Kaurismaki's latest film is wonderful. It's hard to understand why it has been so largely ignored. My review (with pictures).

Agreed that this film is very very good Kaurismaki. I suppose people have dismissed it as minor for its length and its reliance on some rather simple, almost fablistic noir schematics for its plot, but there's something almost holy about this film: a sense of Man's/a man's deep goodness in the face of insurmountable corruption, the same Renaissance-era lighting schemes/color palette.

I've also developed this secret theory that the film is in some way - subconscious or conscious - Kaurismaki's response to the Dardennes' ROSETTA. There are a few segments that are echoes of that film's best moments... I'd be willing to speak more in depth but I fear I might reveal too much of the film's plot, and given how little there is of that, I'd rather not.

I agree that the length, of all things, appears to have been a problem for Light's critical reception, and also found myself thinking along the lines of an almost spiritual/transcendent achievement. There could well be something explicitly Bressonian here.

Must agree with most here that I found this honed to perfection. Despite its length a major body in the Kaurismaki universe.

For those who have seen it an amusing little story that might just have influenced one scene.
A polish cameraman friend of mine was visiting the Camera image festival in Lodz and went for a coffee in a nearby cafe. It was near closing time and the place was deserted except for two people sitting in a corner chatting intensely. One was David Lynch sipping on a black coffee and the other was Aki Kaurismaki knocking back shots of vodka . A line of empty glasses testified to the length of time they'd been there. Suddenly a woman reversed into the room pushing a noisy hoover. She worked her way towards the duo and without missing a beat they both lifted their legs up, carrying on talking while the hoover did its work underneath them. My friend finished his coffee and left them still at it, regretting he'd forgotten to bring his digital camera with him.

I think hoovers have figured in at least one other Aki film but it does seem the perfect symbol of a Lynchian-Kaurismakian audio-visual synthesis.

Another Kaurismaki gem has gotten short shrift due to its short length -- "Tatiana, Take Care of Your Scarf" (possibly my favorite Kaurismaki -- of all those AK films I love).

"Vartija" (Security Guard) was actually the working title of the film. Kaurismaki later said that it was just something he invented for the financiers before finding a proper title.

And yep, the film is very good.

Despite the somewhat grim nature of the plot, "Lights in the Dusk" seems (paradoxically) to be Kaurismaki's sweetest and most gentle film. I just managed to snag a copy of the DVD -- so I look forward to re-seeing this soon. But even based on one viewing, I feel confident in classing this as one of Kaurismaki's masterpieces.

Nabob, what a terrific story! Thanks for sharing. Where did you manage to get hold of a DVD from, Michael?

foggy eyes wrote:Nabob, what a terrific story! Thanks for sharing. Where did you manage to get hold of a DVD from, Michael?

I got the DVD from eBay. There seems to be at least one other copy for sale there now.

Michael Kerpan wrote:

foggy eyes wrote:Nabob, what a terrific story! Thanks for sharing. Where did you manage to get hold of a DVD from, Michael?

I got the DVD from eBay. There seems to be at least one other copy for sale there now.

Almost all of Kaurismäki's films are out in stunning transfers (PAL) by the Swedish label Sandrew Metronome, with optional subtitles in english. In the US, you can get them from Xploited, including Light in the Dusk.