Ariel

19881h 13min

A Finnish man goes to the city to find a job after the mine where he worked is closed and his father commits suicide.

Aki Kaurismäki's Proletariat Trilogy(4)

The poignant, deadpan films of Aki Kaurismäki are pitched somewhere in the wintry nether lands between comedy and tragedy. And rarely in his body of work has the line separating those genres seemed thinner than in what is often identified as his "Proletariat Trilogy," Shadows in Paradise, Ariel, and The Match Factory Girl. In these three films, something like social-realist farces, Kaurismäki surveys the working-class outcasts of his native Finland with detached yet disarming amusement. Featuring commanding, off-key visual compositions and delightfully dour performances, the films in this triptych exemplify the talents of a unique and highly influential film artist.

Shadows in Paradise (1986)

7.3

Nikander, a rubbish collector and would-be entrepreneur, finds his plans for success dashed when his business associate dies. One evening, he meets Ilona, a down-on-her-luck cashier, in a local supermarket. Falteringly, a bond begins to develop between them.

The Match Factory Girl (1990)

7.3

Iris is a shy and dowdy young woman stuck in a dead-end job at a match factory, who dreams of finding love at the local dancehall. Finding herself pregnant after a one-night stand and abandoned by the father, Iris finally decides the time has come to get even and she begins to plot her revenge.

Ariel (1988)

7.1

A Finnish man goes to the city to find a job after the mine where he worked is closed and his father commits suicide.

Fallen Leaves (2023)

7.2

In modern-day Helsinki, two lonely souls in search of love meet by chance in a karaoke bar. However, their path to happiness is beset by obstacles – from lost phone numbers to mistaken addresses, alcoholism, and a charming stray dog.

Ariel

Aki Kaurismäki's Proletariat Trilogy(4)

Shadows in Paradise (1986)

The Match Factory Girl (1990)

Ariel (1988)

Fallen Leaves (2023)

Citizen Kane

Shadows in Paradise

The Match Factory Girl

The Elementary Particles

Four Rooms

The Grand Highway

Tommaso

Life in Loops (A Megacities RMX)

Berlin: Symphony of a Great City

The Baby

Touki Bouki

Lovers Like Us

Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses

Walk on Water

Sunday in August

La Vie de Bohème

Nanking

Tavern Man

Rocky VI

The El-Salomons: Marriage of Convenience

Aki Kaurismäki's Proletariat Trilogy(4)

Shadows in Paradise (1986)

The Match Factory Girl (1990)

Ariel (1988)

Fallen Leaves (2023)