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Shadows in Paradise
Varjoja paratiisissa
1986
Synopsis
After losing his friend and co-worker to a sudden heart attack, lonely Helsinki garbageman Nikander finds himself completely directionless. But unlikely redemption comes in the form of Ilona, a plain supermarket cashier with whom he begins a tentative love affair.
Editorial
The first entry in Aki Kaurismäki’s so-called “Proletariat Trilogy,” Shadows in Paradise effectively set the template for the maestro’s singular style. Punctuated with bursts of primary colors, this beautiful wisp of a film finds a delicately negotiated optimism amid the ruins of its dashed dreams.
