Calamari Union (1985)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Aki Kaurismäki

Writer:

Aki Kaurismäki (writer)

Release Date:

8 February 1985 (Finland)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

An exodus to a better life in Eira |

Plot Keywords:

Cult Favorite | People With Same Name

Cast

Timo Eränkö	...	Frank
Kari Heiskanen	...	Frank
Asmo Hurula	...	Frank
Sakke Järvenpää	...	Frank
Sakari Kuosmanen	...	Frank Armoton (as Saku Kuosmanen)
Dave Lindholm	...	Homeless man
Mikko Mattila	...	Frank
Pate Mustajärvi	...	Frank
Tuomari Nurmio	...	Taxi driver / bum (as Hannu Nurmio)
Pirkka-Pekka Petelius	...	Frank
Matti Pellonpää	...	Frank
Martti Syrjä	...	Frank
Pantse Syrjä	...	Frank (as Mikko Syrjä)
Pertti Sveholm	...	Frank
Markku Toikka	...	Pekka

Runtime:

Sweden:84 min | USA:80 min

Country:

Finland

Language:

English | Finnish

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Helsinki, Finland

Company:

Villealfa Filmproduction Oy

Trivia:

'Aki Kaurismaki' said in an interview that this is the only film he has made where he either was drunk or had a serious hangover while shooting.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In the art museum, both the camera and boom operators are reflected in the glass on the paintings.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Frank: Gentlemen! I don't want to tire you and especially myself by going through those many reasons which make life completely impossible in this part of the city. We all know the circumstances forced on us in our early years: crowded homes, ignorance and hunger...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Matka suomalaiseen elokuvaan: Kaupunkiblues (#1.3)" (2006)

Weird and funny...

Aki Kaurismäki's career began with the masterpiece Crime & Punishment. However, instead of making something similar immediately afterwards, he chose to follow it with an unconventional, black and white satire, Calamari Union.

The film begins in a bar, a pivotal place in Kaurismaki's movies. It is here we first meet our sixteen protagonists: fifteen men (including Matti Pellonpää, Kari Väänänen and Sakari Kuosmanen) all named Frank (apparently, the director was too lazy to come up with different names for everyone) and a guy named Pekka (Markku Toikka). These people represent the lowlife of Helsinki and, aware of this fact, they decide to go to Eira, the decent part of the city. The journey is described as if it were perilous, and in fact things will take unexpected turns.

Calamari Union is a strange film, as it doesn't follow the rules of conventional plotting. What we see is rather a series of separate, quite amusing incidents involving the Franks and Pekka, the dry, very Finnish humor being an anticipation of Kaurismäki's musical satire Leningrad Cowboys Go America (speaking of music, there's an interesting use of the song Stand By Me - a year ahead of Rob Reiner's eponymous movie).

This may not be the kind of movie people watch on a regular basis, but once it's been seen, it doesn't escape your memory. Perfect for a "different" cinema experience.