The ever-poker-faced Ilona loses her job as a restaurant hostess, as her tram driver husband, Lauri, also finds himself out of work. Together they must hit the streets of Helsinki, facing up to hardship and humiliation in their quest for survival, guided through the gloom by a ray of hope.
- 7.6
- 1996
- Released
- 1h 37m
Kati Outinen
Ilona
Kari Väänänen
Lauri
Elina Salo
Mrs. Sjöholm
Sakari Kuosmanen
Melartin
Markku Peltola
Lajunen
Matti Onnismaa
Forsström
Shelley Fisher
PianistMarkus Allan
Orchestra MemberPauli Granfelt
Orchestra MemberKari Lindqvist
Orchestra MemberPentti Mutikainen
Orchestra MemberTommi Parkkonen
Orchestra MemberTaisto Wesslin
Orchestra MemberTuire Liiti
WaitressKaarina Väyrynen
WaitressElli Lindstedt
Old CoupleVilhelm Lindstedt
Old CoupleTuire Tuomisto
Kitchen MaidMustafa Altin
AmirPentti Auer
Buyer of DubrovnikIisak Lusua
Buyer of DubrovnikSimo Santalahti
Buyer of DubrovnikSolmu Mäkelä
Foreman
Outi Mäenpää
Lauri's Sister
Esko Nikkari
Restaurant ManagerTarja Laiho
Labour Official
Sulevi Peltola
Man at Nelia
Vesa Mäkelä
Tax OfficialTero Jartti
Tax Official
Kaija Pakarinen
Woman in Dressing Gown
Vesa Häkli
Ugly Man
Antti Reini
Ugly Man
Yrjö Järvinen
Man at Olympia
Ona Kamu
Cleaning WomanEero Försti
Repossession ManKari Nenonen
Repossession Man
Mato Valtonen
Car DealerAarre Karén
Bank Manager
Rose-Marie Precht
HairdresserClas-Ove Bruun
Carpenter
Silu Seppälä
CarpenterJorma Pulla
Gilder
Atte Blom
First CustomerJuho Grönqvist
Garbage ManKari Järvinen
Garbage Man
Released
fi
- #helsinki, finland
- #husband wife relationship
- #waitress
- #restaurant
- #unemployment
- #laid off
Reviews
The Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki has made several films about the "little people" in society, hardworking folk who have a spot of bad luck and risk being overlooked by the state bureaucracy and business development schemes that are ostensibly there to help them. KAUAS PILVET KARKAAVAT from 1996 (released as "Drifting Clouds" in English-speaking markets) is one such tale of adversity. Ilona (Kat