The second film of Kaurismäki’s ‘Finland’ trilogy could be one of his most mature works, achieving a fine balance between the driest of humour and the most encompassing of compassion.

The second film of Kaurismäki’s ‘Finland’ trilogy could be one of his most mature works, achieving a fine balance between the driest of humour and the most encompassing of compassion.
This minor work is also the weakest film in Kaurismaki’s “Finland” trilogy, taking itself more seriously than it ought to be.
A compassionate if often amusing film centering on a couple facing unemployment that sees Kaurismäki in his own element.
Takes a while to set off, but when it does, the film is Kaurismäki at his deadpan comedic best, with a touch of empathy for its characters.
A gang of shades-wearing weirdos attempt to create meaning out of a meaningless existence in this uneven absurdist work of comic nihilism.