Drifting Clouds

In Drifting Clouds (1996), Aki Kaurismäki shows what happens when the naive girl from The Match Factory Girl - which you can also see at this year's Northern Film Festival! - is fired. The film is an enchanting comedy about an unemployed couple searching for a job with the courage of despair. Frank Capra is never far away in this nostalgic film where naive hope still pays off and the Finnish blue shines like never before. Kaurismäki's play with colours adds a slightly surreal touch to the film. In particular, bright blue plays an important role. Like David Lynch, he is charmed by the American painter Edward Hopper, who used elementary colours and a cinematic mise-en-scène to depict loneliness like no other. 

With this hopeful film with a happy ending, Kaurismäki once again confirmed his reputation as one of Europe's best filmmakers with a film that is actually universal, but fortunately also has his typical Finnish artist's hand.