Movie No. 49 (2016): ARIEL

Ariel (1988)
Director: Aki Kaurismaki
Cast: Turo Pajala, Susanna Haavisto, Matti Pellonpaa
In Finnish, with English subtitles

It is typical for any man to plan his future on a clean slate after a series of failures and bad luck. In the case of Taito, a Finnish miner, he has to leave the town after the closing of the mine and his father's suicide. He meets a woman; he decides to be with her forever. But luck is still not on his side when he gets framed for a crime. Together with his cellmate, he plans to escape and start a new life outside Europe. But things do not go as planned. 

The movie is bleak, with dry humor. It's told in a way as if a stranger is telling the story to you just  matter-of-factly. It is subtle; there is not much detail. The long takes contribute to setting the mood of such scenes. Some bleak scenes are cool. And there are no hysterics even in one death scene.

Rating: 3.5/4.0

Date seen: July 31, 2016

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