Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

Kauas pilvet karkaavat (Drifting Clouds)
1996
****
Director: Aki Kaurismäki
Cast: Kari Väänänen, Kati Outinen, Sakari Kuosmanen, Elina Salo, Markku Peltola, Matti Onnismaa, Esko Nikkari, Outi Mäenpää, Markus Allan, Shelley Fisher

Ilona is a head waitress at an upscale restaurant in Helsinki and her husband Lauri is a tram driver. When they lose their jobs at the same time, they must try and hold onto hope and dignity in the face of adversity. Aki Kaurismäki's dark but warm comedy about unemployment is not set in the real world, but the story of Ilona and Lauri is funny, moving, and surprisingly hopeful. This is the first part in a so-called Loser Trilogy, which continues with Man Without a Past and Lights in the Dusk.