Kauas pilvet karkaavat (1996)

Director:

Aki Kaurismäki

Writer:

Aki Kaurismäki (writer)

Release Date:

10 July 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

The recession hits a couple in Helsinki.

Plot Keywords:

Drunkenness | Tragedy | Unemployment | Cookery

Awards:

8 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Kati Outinen	...	Ilona
Kari Väänänen	...	Lauri
Elina Salo	...	Rouva Sjöholm (Mrs. Sjöholm)
Sakari Kuosmanen	...	Melartin
Markku Peltola	...	Lajunen
Matti Onnismaa	...	Forsström
Matti Pellonpää	...	Lapsi valokuvassa (Child in the Photograph)
Pietari	...	Pietari
Shelley Fisher	...	Pianisti (Pianist)
Markus Allan	...	Orkesteri (Band)
Pauli Granfelt	...	Orkesteri (Band)
Kari Lindqvist	...	Orkesteri (Band)
Pentti Mutikainen	...	Orkesteri (Band)
Tommi Parkkonen	...	Orkesteri (Band)
Taisto Wesslin	...	Orkesteri (Band)

Also Known As:

Drifting Clouds (UK)
Far Away the Clouds Escape (International: English title) (literal English title)
Au loin s'en vont les nuages (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Nubes pasajeras (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
Drivende skyer (Norway) [no]
Gomolygó felhök (Hungary) [hu]
Makria petoun ta synnefa (Greece) [el]
Moln på drift (Sweden) [sv]
Mraky odtáhly (Czech Republic) [cs]
Nuvens Passageiras (Portugal) [pt]
Nuvole in viaggio (Italy) [it]
Sürüklenen Bulutlar (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Wolken ziehen vorüber (Germany) [de]

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

Finland

Language:

Finnish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Finland:S | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11

Filming Locations:

Helsinki, Finland

Company:

Sputnik

Trivia:

Dedicated to the memory of Matti Pellonpää (who was frequently cast by director Aki Kaurismäki) for whom the main role was originally intended. The child who can be seen in the photo is Pellonpää, a homage.

Quotes:

Restaurant chief: [Ilona is applying a new job] To be honest, you're beginning to be too old.
Ilona: I'm 36.
Restaurant chief: You can pass away at any time.

Movie Connections:

References L'argent (1983)

Soundtrack:

Human Rights for Snakes

Clear, bright and quirky

What I particularly like about this film are its colourful settings, suggesting a Helsinki less grey and damp as portrayed in other films. The screenplay, the acting and the directing are precise, which is the main reason why this sad story is really a comedy. The story is very clear and therefore not boring - a quality not applicable for every Kaurismäki film. Yet Ilona and Lauri's fate is surely not a classic example for what happens to Finn worker couples today, I think the bizarre surroundings underline the whole film's quirky and slightly absurd mood.

This is the best Kaurismäki film I've seen up to now.