Laitakaupungin valot (2006)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Aki Kaurismäki

Writer:

Aki Kaurismäki (writer)

Release Date:

3 February 2006 (Finland)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot:

In Helsinki, a lonely night watchman is caught up in a series of misadventures with a femme fatale and a crooked businessman.

Plot Keywords:

Night Watchman | Femme Fatale | Jewels | Burglary | Big City

Awards:

3 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Janne Hyytiäinen	...	Koistinen
Maria Järvenhelmi	...	Mirja
Maria Heiskanen	...	Aila
Ilkka Koivula	...	Lindholm
Sergei Doudko	...	Russian
Andrei Gennadiev	...	Russian
Arturas Pozdniakovas	...	Russian
Matti Onnismaa	...	Shift Manager
Sulevi Peltola	...	Foreman
Antti Reini	...	Security Guard
Neka Haapanen	...	Security Guard
Santtu Karvonen	...	Security Guard
Sesa Lehto	...	Security Guard
Jukka Rautiainen	...	Security Guard
Jukka Salmi	...	Security Guard

Also Known As:

Lights in the Dusk (Canada: English title) (festival title) (International: English title) (USA) (festival title)
Les lumières du faubourg (France)
Lichter der Vorstadt (Germany)
Ljus i skymningen (Finland: Swedish title)
Yövartija (Finland) (working title)

Runtime:

78 min

Country:

Finland | Germany | France

Language:

Finnish | Russian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-7 | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Germany:6 | Argentina:Atp | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:12

Filming Locations:

Helsinki, Finland

Company:

Sputnik

Trivia:

Suomen Filmikamari, which selects the Finnish candidate for Academy Awards Best Foreign-Language Picture, had already chosen Laitakaupungin valot in September 2006, but in October 2006 Aki Kaurismäki informed them that he did not want his film considered for that competition. This also meant that there was no Finnish entry in the Academy Awards pre-selection.

Quotes:

Shift Manager: And what was your name?
Koistinen: Koistinen. Just like before.

Movie Connections:

References Varjoja paratiisissa (1986)

Soundtrack:

El día que me quieras

downward spiral

This film is an excellent comment on the downward spiral of an individual resulting from a very unequal society with a faulty / oblivious criminal justice system that punishes the innocent, band-aids the symptoms of social ills, but does not address root causes, and the long term social effects of imprisonment. The little guy's life is ruined while the real criminals get away with anything - just like in the real world! Hard work gets you nowhere! Neither does loyalty! It presents in a wonderfully bittersweet way the existential angst of a life at the bottom, just scraping by, against the coldness and apathy of a kind of extreme-Darwinian world where life is brutish and short. Ultimately, a tiny crack of light opens at the end, through humans simply caring for each other. But, like in the real world, you might die before anything good happens. A very stylized film, filmed almost like a comic book, impeccably detailed, spare, and melancholy but beautiful.