Drifting Clouds (film)

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Drifting Clouds
DVD cover
Directed by	Aki Kaurismäki
Produced by	Aki Kaurismäki
Written by	Aki Kaurismäki
Starring	Kati Outinen Kari Väänänen Markku Peltola
Music by	Timo Salminen
Cinematography	Timo Salminen
Editing by	Aki Kaurismäki
Release date(s)	May 1996 (Cannes Film Festival) September 8, 1996 (Toronto Film Festival) July 10, 1998
Running time	96 mins
Country	Finland
Language	Finnish
Budget	FIM 5,562,154 (approx. € 935,000)
IMDb profile

Drifting Clouds (Finnish:Kauas pilvet karkaavat) is a 1996 Finnish film directed by Aki Kaurismäki and starring Kati Outinen, Kari Väänänen and Markku Peltola. The film is the first in Kaurismäki's Finland trilogy, the other 2 films being The Man Without a Past and Lights in the Dusk.

1 Plot
2 Critical reception and awards
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Plot

Ilona Koponen (Kati Outinen), a head waitress at Dubrovnik restaurant, is married to Lauri (Kari Väänänen), a tram driver. The couple lives in a small, modestly furnished apartment in Helsinki. As they both come home from work late one night, Lauri surprises Ilona with a new television which he purchased on store credit. There is a short discussion between the two regarding their ability to meet their financial obligations but they agree that the TV payments are manageable.
Next day, as Lauri gets to work, he is informed by his superior that the company will be laying off several workers due to non-profitability of certain tram routes. The decision, Lauri is told, will be made by drawing cards and the 4 employees drawing the lowest value cards will be let go. Upon the announcement, Lauri draws a 3. He does not inform Ilona of the fact that he lost his job until 1 month later, the day after he has finished working his last scheduled shift. The next morning, as Ilona gets to work, she is informed by the restaurant owner that the restaurant is being sold to a chain restaurant company and all the employees will be let go since the new company will be bringing in its own employees.
Both of them set out looking for work immediately but with discouraging results. Lauri gets offered a job as a bus driver but is unable to pass the medical exam and subsequently loses his professional driver's licence. Ilona gets a job at rundown bar/restaurant which doesn't even have a name and is owned by a tax evading crook. After 6 weeks of working there, the restaurant gets shut down by the state and Illona does not get paid by the dishonest owner.
During their search for meaningful employment, both Lauri and Ilona enter a bout with alcoholism all the while running into their former co-workers who are dealing with similar difficulties. At one point, the two even sell their car and take the money to a casino in hopes of doubling the money but they, however, end up losing it all. Most of their furniture as well as the new TV that Lauri bought is repossesed by the creditors.
One day, Ilona accidentally runs into Mrs Sjöholm (Elina Salo), her former boss. Sjöholm suggests that Ilona should open up a restaurant. Since Ilona does not have the capital needed for such a venture, Sjöholm agrees to provide the financial means for the restaurant to start operating with the understanding that Ilona will pay back the loan to Mrs Sjöholm. Ilona, humbled by the her recent experiences, is initially reluctant to accept the offer for fear of the restaurant failing and her not being able to repay Mrs Sjöholm. She eventually does agree.
Ilona names the restaurant Work and hires some of the staff from Dubrovnik, including the troubled chef Lajunen (Markku Peltola). Filled with anxiety during a slow lunch hour on opening day, Ilona's worries quickly disappear as she watches the restaurant fill to capacity later the same afternoon. After receiving a call from a Helsinki union asking for a reservation for 30 people, Lauri and Ilona exit the restaurant and stand on the front steps appearing emotionless and looking at the skies as more people enter the restaurant.

[edit] Critical reception and awards

Although the film was not as widely distributed as an average Hollywood feature and, as a result, was not a commercial success to the same extent, it was well received by film critics worldwide. As of February 5, 2008, the aggregate review website Rotten Tomatoes only registered 9 reviews for the film, all of which were positive and averaged a 7.1 rating out of a possible 10^[1]. Film critic Roger Ebert awarded the film 3½ stars out of 4, all the while praising Kaurismäki's "subtle irony" and challenging the widely accepted description of Kaurismäki as a minimalist by offering his opinion that the "screen is saturated with images and ideas"^[2]. Damian Cannon of Movie Reviews UK awarded the film 4 stars out of 5 calling it "an examination of life and how to survive misfortune, unscrupulous characters and your own lack of foresight" and concluding that "Kaurismäki succeeds impressively"^[3].

At the 1996 Cannes Film Festival, the film won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury - Special Mention award as well as being nominated for the Palme d'Or. The film won several awards at the 1997 Finnish Jussi awards including Best Film, Best Director (Kaurismäki), Best Script (Kaurismäki), Best Actress (Outinen), and Best Supporting Actress (Salo).