In preparation for what I hope will be our Palme winner, I decided to finally get to one of my big blindspots, which is Kaurismäki's Finland trilogy. I have adored all the other films of his I have watched (The Other Side of Hope remains one of my comfort films), so this was long overdue
Drifting Clouds
Kauas pilvet karkaavat
(dir. Aki Kaurismäki, 1996)
Over the course of his prolific career, Aki Kaurismäki has made several hilarious films about truly miserable people, which has become something of his trademark, and a large reason why he is arguably one of his native Finland’s most celebrated directors. It’s not necessarily that he is focusing on the plight of his characters and their various challenges, but rather that he approaches his stories with the intention of looking deep into the national psyche, focusing on a range of issues, all filtered through the lens of melancholy, but still often very funny, dark comedies. It has made some of his films unimpeachable masterpieces, and situated him as one of the most distinct and well-regarded directors of his generation. Drifting Clouds (Finnish: Kauas pilvet karkaavat) was the first in what is often referred to as the director’s “Finland Trilogy”, a set of films focused on smaller issues, blending comedy and drama in a way that was somewhat of a departure for his more eccentric works (such as Leningrad Cowboys Go America) or those that veered more towards the overtly dramatic (most notably The Match Factory Girl, his most celebrated film prior to this new trilogy). It featured some of the director’s most complex and haunting commentary, as well as the heartwarming humour that made many of his films so unforgettable – and with almost unprecedented consistency, Kaurismäki says more about the human condition through this small, intimate character study than nearly all of his contemporaries, many of which have rarely come close to touching on the raw existential nerve that Kaurismäki peddles with surprising regularity, Drifting Clouds being one of his most daring and endearing achievements to date, both in terms of the story and the intricate nuances of the film.
Kaurismäki often draws inspiration from the world around him, being a director whose fascination with humanity as a whole has led him to become one of European cinema’s most interesting filmmakers, someone whose blend of tender absurdism and social commentary makes him an essential component of the modern magical realist movement. This is a good way to describe his work, which reflects a keen set of existential values, all of which are very much drawn from reality, but filtered through a more abstract lens, where the sadness of the story is lightened by the peculiarities of the character that populates it. Drifting Clouds is a good example of this concept in practice – based on the premise, you’d think this would be an overwrought, melodramatic excursion into the plight of characters who find themselves on the other side of unemployment, through no fault of their own. However, the entire film is executed as if it were a very charming romantic comedy, with the relationship between the two characters being central to the delightful nature of the film. Kaurismäki has a very unique way of presenting these stories, and while it does form a kind of miserabilist comedy in terms of how he approaches the premise, he is consistently able to evoke a sense of levity that might not inspire much laughter, but rather lightens the tone considerably, not necessarily to break the tension, but rather to show that even in times of difficulty, there is an opportunity to thrive and survive with the right mindset. Even the title of Drifting Clouds evokes the adage that every cloud has a silver lining, granted that we are willing to look for it. There’s a lot of complexity in how the director navigates this story, and he purposefully juggles melodrama and comedy in a way that is beyond inventive.
Drifting Clouds rests almost entirely on Kati Outinen and Kari Väänänen, who lead this film with a kind of sincerity we don’t often find from even the most well-regarded actors, both of whom cast as a result of being part of the director’s “trusted stable of actors”, his repertory group of regular collaborators that lend their talents to his films and help form these unforgettable tales. Their performances are absolutely spellbinding – considering the nature of the film is one that leans more towards social realism, it needed a pair of actors who could convincingly play salt-of-the-earth people who don’t have any discernible qualities that set them apart from anyone else, outside of an undying tenacity to resolve any challenge that comes their way. It required actors who could play realistic characters, albeit ones that we know can overcome even the most insurmountable obstacles, granted they are given the opportunity to do so. The leads of Drifting Clouds are both incredible – they find the perfect balance between the humour and pathos, being able to convey a kind of emotion that is effective in conveying the shifting tone of the story, while never being entirely excessive, everything being kept incredibly subdued and elegant throughout. Kaurismäki often gives his actors great roles, especially those who are part of his rotating group of regular collaborators, the working relationship between the director and his performers being clearly built on mutual respect, dedication to the craft, and the pursuit of something meaningful, which lingers over every frame of this film, and makes for profoundly moving viewing.
Poverty and unemployment is certainly nothing close to a laughing matter – so kudos must be given to Kaurismäki for actually managing to make a functional and meaningful comedy from what is a very serious subject. I’ve touched on it above, but the reason it works so well is because the director is able to find the humour in a bleak situation, which is a process that takes a lot of skill, since there many attempts to do the same that turn out looking like flippant, wildly inappropriate attempts at trivialising serious subject matter. The director is grappling with many fascinating themes throughout the film, all delivered with his distinctive visual flair, where the brief bursts of colour contrast with the muted palette, creating a distinct and unforgettable visual landscape that has come to be significant in the cinema of Scandinavia, which continuously seems to be intent on producing these small but impactful dramas that use colour and composition extremely effective to tell these stories, rarely venturing towards a more conventional method of filmmaking. It only aids in contributing to the abundance of heart, which is essentially the primary approach taken by Kaurismäki in putting these films together, hand-crafting a range of unique and meaningful comedies that have as much depth as they do passion, which is always in an absolute abundance, which is especially important when we look at the premise, which would be unbearably bleak had it not been for the very spirited and earnest methods taken by the director in telling this story, which is continuously quite provocative, but in a way that we don’t realize until the very end, and the subversive nature of the film is made even more clear.
Kaurismäki is the rare filmmaker whose work embodies both style and substance, and even while at his most simple and effective in terms of a story, he is still crafting something meaningful. Drifting Clouds is not his funniest work, nor is it his most profound – yet, it resides squarely in the middle, being the perfect blend of comedy and social drama, which makes for a deeply moving experience, since we can’t ever fully predict the direction in which the filmmaker is going to take the story. It does help to be aware of some of Kaurismäki’s other work, if only to give us the comfort in knowing that he is ultimately a very optimistic and hopeful director, so there is always going to be a silver lining behind every challenge faced by his characters. We’re in good hands, and Kaurismäki makes sure that we are given the satisfying, heartful conclusion we yearn for. Perhaps it might be slightly unrealistic (although to his credit, the director has never been one to fully surrender to the confines of reality, many of his films entailing some degree of blind optimism), but it is meaningful and manages to both warm our hearts and nourish our souls, provoking thought and stirring discussion, which is quite an achievement for a film as small and intimate as Drifting Clouds. The heart is what keeps the film afloat, and allows us to easily follow these characters as they navigate the hostile outside world, standing by each other and discovering the key to success isn’t strength, intelligence or talent, but rather resilience, a skill that many possess, but very few know how to use, which is the central message of this film, and the primary reason it is such an absolutely delightful and heartbreakingly beautiful piece of filmmaking.
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(who affectionately pats Nicole's derriere) the many gastronomic delights she intends to order for breakfast. During this scene, Darrieux is enchanting. ![[SIGPIC]](signaturepics/sigpic11468_37.gif)
Originally Posted by francesco-natale
I mean ... well, I love His Girl Friday (ultimate screwball with that wonderful gender twist ...) Man favorite's sport (perfect late screwball with my favorite actor so yeah ...) and ... Barbary Coast (melodrama imitating Morocco ... not Hawks movie per se, I would say ...)