Movie Loner

I have to admit, I know very little about Finnish cinema. Quick research enlightened me that the first film produced in Finland was in 1907. A country populated by a mere 5.2 million people still releases 15-20 features annually. Its most recognized and lauded Writer/Director, Aki Kaurismaki, has put himself on the proverbial movie map with titles like Drifting Clouds and The Man Without a Past. Completing his “loneliness” trilogy is Lights in the Dusk, a deliberately paced gloomy comedy about, what else, a lonely guy.

Koistinen (Janne Hyytiainen) is a sad sack security guard living the dullest of dull lives in Helsinki. The chain smoking, laconic also-ran frequents dim pubs and uncrowded eateries when not visiting his sole friend, a demure lunch truck owner named Aila. Koistinen’s predictable existence gets derailed after meeting Mirja, a Russian femme fatale with illicit motives. A chance meeting leads to an impromptu date. Dinner, movie and a trip to a disco is all it takes for the lovelorn Koistinen to become smitten. Unfortunately, Mirja and her crime boss boyfriend are setting poor Koistinen up for a big fall.

Naive and trusting, Koistinen makes a perfect patsy in a planned jewelry store robbery. Once the heist is completed a broken hearted Koistinen is under arrest and out of a job. He willingly accepts blame and resigns himself to a fate of incarceration. Only Aila shows concern, but Koistinen’s time away deepens his desire for isolationism. Upon his release from prison, his life continues a downward spiral. Anger and a need for vengeance erodes all hope and places Koistinen in a dangerous position. Aila’s unconditional love provides a glimmer of light in Koistinen’s otherwise dark life, but he must open his eyes to see it.

Deadpan and glib, Kaurismaki seems to relish anything and everything miserable. It’s difficult to feel sorry for his protagonist because the guy is such an insufferable loser. But that’s the point. You keep waiting for some sort of redemption that will never come. If it did, it would ring false. Koistinen is who he is, significant change while not impossible, appears unlikely. Janne Hyytiainen’s performance is spot on; he never strays from playing the misfit, but still manages to be endearing. If Lights in the Dusk is representative of Finnish film, I look forward to discovering more of what this little country has to offer.

The trailer for Lights in the Dusk: