Interesteg What makes it different from others?

Nessieldwi Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Tobias Burrows It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Alex Deleon LAITAKAUPUNGIN VALOT by Aki Kaurismaki, "Lights in the Dusk", 2006. Viewed at the 2007 Rouen Nordic Film Festival where, if Chantal Ackerman's spare study of nothingness was "experimental" the word which applies to Aki Kaurismaki's "Lights in the Dark" (Finnish title) (LAITAKAUPUNGIN VALOT) is "Minimalist" -- to the MAX! Kaurismaki has always been known for showing no more than what is absolutely necessary to make a story point in his spare but compassionate studies of Finnish losers in Helsinki, but in this film he distills it down to the very nittiest-of-grit. "Lights in the Dudk" (or Shadows in the Slums) tells the story of the misadventures of a handsome but feckless security guard and his ill-fated romance with the beautiful moll of a sinister local gangster. The story line is so compressed it's almost hard to follow what exactly is going on, however, when our hero dies at the end clutching the hand of the exotic femme fatale who brought about his demise, we realize that we have actually been through a lot more than the 78 minutes which just went by on screen. This is the kind of picture where, if you blink, you've missed a whole important plot point, but it's also an exceptional treat for those who have followed Aki's career over the years -- like a special desert at the end of a long feast. Another teasingly minimalist touch is the appearance of Kaurismaki's usual leading lady, Katti Outinen, in a 30 second cameo as -- what else? -- a supermarket checkout cashier. Don't blink or you'll miss her too. This latest offering from Kaurismaki may not be for every taste, but it is certainly something special and would be a perfect swan song were the taciturn Finn to step out of the picture tomorrow.

grondag I love foreign films. Maybe its because they aren't spoiled with the propaganda and commercialization prevalent in Hollywood films. This little jewel has made a place as one of my favorites. I discovered it on the Sundance Channel one day in August but I didn't watch it all. Even then I realized it would be best to watch it in colder weather to match the climate on the film. I only watch Dr. Zhivago in January or February. This film is wonderfully minimalistic. It doesn't tax your brain but is never boring due to the absorbing cinematography. Also, I love films that have a lot of quiet passages and this one does not disappoint. Thank God for movies like this. They cleanse the palate of inferior Hollywood drivel.

Cliff Hanley Like Kaurismaki's two previous films, 'Drifting Clouds' and 'Man Without a Past', this conjures up a world of despair, but shot in the Formica tones of a Doris Day comedy, without the emollient presence of incidental music. The protagonist is almost totally inarticulate; it's impossible to tell whether this is through depression or dictated by an immutable moral stance. The night watchman, Koistinen, will not reveal the identity of the girl who set him up, exploiting his love-hunger, even when it results in his taking the rap for a bank robbery. At the same time he is blind to the love felt for him by an honest and wholesome burger-stall owner. The film takes in the breadth of Finnish society from dreadful poverty to obscenely glossy wealth, in murky aerial shots of the city as much as in the close-ups. Rather than stand up for himself, Koistinen practically sets himself up again and again, getting knocked down, or beat up on a regular basis. He is reminiscent of Meursault, the hero of Camus' The Outsider, who cannot produce the basic reactions and hypocrisy that society expects of him. But as with 'Drifting Clouds' the piling-up of grief and injustice leads to a tiny spark of hope in the final frames - and Kaurismaki admits to being a soft-hearted old man, so he expects us to see it that way. En route, it's a strange and dreamlike experience, being in the world of Kaurismaki. CLIFF HANLEY

GilbertBr Compared to normal Hollywood movies I still enjoy Kaurismäki's films, but this is definitely not one of his best ones.One of the biggest problems of this film is the director's attitude towards his main character. Koistinen's situation is getting worse with every action he takes. That's not the problem, but Kaurismäki doesn't offer a minimum of possible explanations to Koistinen's behaviour.I don't expect a complete interpretation of his work by a director or by an author, but as a viewer of a film or as a reader of a book you need at least some information to start at. So I can only imagine that the reasons for Koistinen's behaviour lie in his state of mind and/or in his past.But this is criticism at a high level. There are still some typical Kaurismäki-scenes in this film which I like a lot.