Drifting Clouds

When the Helsinki restaurant where she has worked for many years gets taken over, head waitress Ilona finds herself in her forties and back on the job market. Adding insult to injury, her husband Lauri is made redundant by the tram company, and the little life they have built up together suddenly starts to look very fragile. From grim beginnings, Kaurismäki spins a beautiful tale of the way ordinary people pull together and survive. It’s not exactly a comedy, although there are darkly humorous moments, and not exactly a tragedy although there are many downbeat aspects. Instead, it’s more of a an examination of life and how to survive misfortune, unscrupulous characters and your own lack of foresight.