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17/10/1986 Comedy, Drama, Romance 1h 14m
72
User score

Overview

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.

  1. Aki Kaurismäki

    Director, Writer

Top billed cast

  1. Matti Pellonpää

    Nikander

  2. Kati Outinen

    Ilona

  3. Sakari Kuosmanen

    Melartin

  4. Esko Nikkari

    Nikander's Co-Worker

  5. Kylli Köngäs

    Ilona's Friend

  6. Pekka Laiho

    Store Manager

  7. Jukka-Pekka Palo

    Third Man

  8. Svante Korkiakoski

    Police Officer

  9. Mari Rantasila

    Nikander's Sister

  10. View more

Full Cast & Crew

Reviews

A review by CRCulver
Written by CRCulver on 2018-09-06
Released in 1986, Aki Kaurismaki's Varjoja paratiisissa (Shadows in Paradise) is one of the Finnish filmmaker's earliest efforts, and it stands as one of the most idiosyncratic romantic comedies of all time. The painfully shy Nikander (Matti Pellonpää), a garbage man, means the moody Ilona, a supermarket checkout girl. The film tracks their bumbling attempt to establish a lasting relationship: dates that end as soon as they've begun, a romantic getaway where they each retreat to separate hotel rooms, and rare conversations which employ the absolute bare minimum of words. Nikander's be...read the rest
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Status
Released

Original Language
Finnish

Budget
$0.00

Revenue
$0.00

Keywords