LIGHTS IN THE DUSK 

*a 2007 (U.S.) Release*



Unemployment, homelessness, loneliness -- abstract entities that could be regarded as being reticular since one often stems from another before itself acting as a modifier, thus forming a network of hopelessness and despair. While most of Aki Kaurismkis work grounds itself with such thematic concerns, his so-called Finnish/loser trilogy has been successful in advancing the issues to the forefront -- individually, that is. The first installment of the trilogy, Drifting Clouds (1996), dealt with unemployment, the second, The Man Without a Past (2002), portrayed homelessness. In Lights in the Dusk (Laitakaupungin valot), the darkest, minimalist, and arguably the best of the three, the emphasis is placed on solitude. 

Koistinen (Janne Hyytiinen) is a lonely security guard who works the night shift at a high-end shopping mall in Helsinki. His bosses do not care to remember his name; his co-workers do their best to avoid him. Koistinen literally feels out of place anywhere he goes. His only friend in this disconnected, postmodern milieu appears to be a woman (Maria Heiskanen) who runs the fast-food van near his residence. Ostensibly resigned to lifes disparities, our hapless, hangdog protagonist nonetheless retains hope that he will be able to start his own business some day. And that desire remains even after he gets set up by a beautiful blonde (Maria Jrvenhelmi) and her crooked, granite-faced boss with mobster ties and ends up in the pen. 

Lights in the Dusk may be the most overt film noir Kaurismki has attempted since 1990s I Hired a Contract Killer, but its a meticulously refined, stripped-down version of one. (The proceedings unfold with an almost Bressonian austerity.) The Finnish filmmakers trademark deadpan humor is also only sparingly employed (a highlight: How was [prison], Koistinen is once asked, We couldnt get out... All doors were locked -- Bang!). Conceptual influences and visual references abound (All About Eve [1950], Melville, Edward Hopper), and inundated with an eclectic soundtrack (Finnish tango, Gardels Volver, garage rock), another Kaurismki specialty, this reticent yet moving 78-minute effort proves the old adage that its always great to be in the company of an auteur, even when you know whats coming.

Grade: A-
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*The film had its international premeire at Cannes '06 (in-competition).

*Now available on DVD in the U.S. (Strand Releasing) / U.K. (Artificial-Eye).

*Related: Aki Kaurismki THREAD.
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[Edit]: Grade (2nd viewing)