Drifting Clouds (1996)
"Kauas pilvet karkaavat" (original title)

The recession hits a couple in Helsinki.

Director:

Aki Kaurismäki

Writer:

Aki Kaurismäki

Stars:

Kati Outinen, Kari Väänänen, Elina Salo

9 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kati Outinen	...	Ilona
Kari Väänänen	...	Lauri
Elina Salo	...	Rouva Sjöholm (Mrs. Sjöholm)
Sakari Kuosmanen	...	Melartin
Markku Peltola	...	Lajunen
Matti Onnismaa	...	Forsström
Matti Pellonpää	...	Lapsi valokuvassa (Child in the Photograph)
Pietari	...	Pietari
Shelley Fisher	...	Pianisti (Pianist)
Markus Allan	...	Orkesteri (Band)
Pauli Granfelt	...	Orkesteri (Band)
Kari Lindqvist	...	Orkesteri (Band)
Pentti Mutikainen	...	Orkesteri (Band)
Tommi Parkkonen	...	Orkesteri (Band)
Taisto Wesslin	...	Orkesteri (Band)

Storyline

Tram driver Lauri loses his job. Shortly later, the restaurant where his wife Ilona works as a head waitress is closed. Too proud to receive money from the social welfare system, they strive to find new jobs. But they are completely unlucky and clumsy, one disaster is followed by the next.

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Plot Keywords:

waitress | work | restaurant | tram driver | proud | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official Homepage (The Finnish Film Foundation)

Country:

Finland

Language:

Finnish

Release Date:

10 July 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Drifting Clouds

Filming Locations:

Helsinki, Finland

Box Office

Budget:

FIM 5,562,154 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

ITL 394,049,000 (Italy) (2 May 1997)

Gross:

ITL 979,201,000 (Italy) (6 June 1997)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sputnik

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby SR

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dedicated to the memory of Matti Pellonpää (who was frequently cast by director Aki Kaurismäki) for whom the main role was originally intended. The child who can be seen in the photo is Pellonpää, a homage.

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Quotes

Melartin: Let's take the whole bottle, it's cheaper

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Connections

Referenced in Carte de Visite - Der V'03-Trailer (2003)

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Soundtracks

"Su cara"
Music and arranged by Antero Jakoila
Performed by Ensemble Antero Jakoila

User Reviews

Less is more

Celebration for unacting! If you like movies where less is saying more

• this is your movie. The wonderful positive attitude of people in

difficult situations is something to learn from. Kati Outinen is great

• again. She suits this movie perfectly. Kari Väänänen as her husband

is the perfect Finnish hard working man whose life isn't a struggle but an art-form it self. Also Markku Peltola as a cook gives once again a memorable performance. The music moves the scenes into another level. Finnish melancholic tango in this environment makes almost a conflict between the things happening in the screen and the music. What a wonderful tribute to Matti Pellonpää.