Drifting Clouds

press release: Finland | 1996 | 35mm | 97 min. | Finnish with English subtitles

Director: Aki Kaurismäki; Cast: Kati Outinen, Kari Väänänen, Elina Salo

“Life is short and miserable, so let’s make the most of it.” One of Kaurismäki’s finest expressions of deadpan humanism follows a working-class Helsinki couple after they both lose their jobs. With poker-faced dignity, they struggle to get back on their feet, between bouts of drinking heavy enough to prompt the quintessential Kaurismäkian quip “I am on a journey to the end of vodka.” Preceded by Rocky VI (1986, 9 min, 35mm), Kaurismäki’s unlikely parody of Stallone’s Rocky IV.

All Cinematheque screenings are free and open to the public.