written by: Aki Kaurismäki
directed by: Aki Kaurismäki
produced by: Villealfa Filmproduction Oy
classification: 15
duration: 76 minutes
shot in: Colour
country: Finland
year: 1986

Kaurismäki Meets Kati Outinen

Shadows in Paradise (Varjoja paratiisissa marked Kaurismäki's first collaboration with Kati Outinen, who has become the very symbol, alongside the late Matti Pellonpää, of Kaurismäki's cinema.

It remains one of his finest works, though for some peculiar reason, one of his least watched, and a valuable introduction to his world. Kaurismaki makes films about expressionless underdogs who mostly sit around and brood. His films are full of unobtrusive single-take scenes (or at least with minimal editing), moving portraits of lonely disenchanted people, very addictive viewing because you never know what happens next. Like his friend Jarmusch or Chantal Akerman, Kaurismaki is a master of minimalist filmmaking.

But what separates his work from others is his expert use of offscreen imagery (a kiss is represented by a hand holding a cigarette), the surprising spontaneity of his miserable characters (because the garbage man finds a record at the dump, he suddenly purchases a brand new stereo system in order to listen to it!), and a tacked-on, deliberately absurd happy ending (which impossibly gets his people out of the worst situations) which is meant to be his sly comment on the Hollywood films he despises.

Like any great film auteur such as Altman, Fellini, Preston Surges, or even Almodovar, Kaurismaki's films are peopled with unforgettable, unique faces via his own stock company. Matti Pellonpaa is perfect as the garbage man (his slicked-back hair, big glasses and droopy moustache make him the quintessential oddball underdog), as is the blank-faced Kati Outinen, the recently fired supermarket cashier who finds romance with this man. Her flat, pale visage is like death warmed over.

Shadows in Paradise is the first of the Kaurismaki's "loser" trilogy (followed by Ariel and The Match Factory Girl). It is a hilariously deadpan, wonderfully dark, yet strangely sweet, and compulsive viewing experience. A perfect introduction to the world of Kaurismaki!

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