The Leningrad Cowboys, a group of Siberian musicians, and their manager, travel to America seeking fame and fortune. As they cross the country, trying to get to a wedding in Mexico, they are followed by the village idiot, who wishes to join the band.

Lights in the Dusk

2006

Finnish

6.8

♡ 6

68%

Aki Kaurismäki Director

Marja Packalén as Chef

Tommi Korpela as Lecturer

Maria Järvenhelmi as Mirja

Silu Seppälä as Vandal

Outcast by his co-workers and living alone, Koistinen is a security guard who works the night shift in a luxury shopping mall in Helsinki. But when icy blonde Mirja approaches him, the lonely Koistinen falls helplessly for her, unaware she is manipulating him for her criminal boyfriend.

Le Havre

2011

French

7.2

♡ 12

99%

Aki Kaurismäki Director

Jicey Carina as A passerby

Jean-Pierre Léaud as Le dénonciateur

André Wilms as Marcel Marx

Jean-Pierre Darroussin as Monet

In the French harbor city of Le Havre, fate throws young African refugee Idrissa into the path of Marcel Marx, a well-spoken bohemian who works as a shoe-shiner. With innate optimism and the tireless support of his community, Marcel stands up to officials pursuing the boy for deportation.

Calamari Union

1985

Finnish

6.9

♡ 9

81%

Aki Kaurismäki Director

Kari Väänänen as Frank

Aki Kaurismäki as Ruumisauton kuljettaja

Pirkko Hämäläinen as Sihteeri

Casablanca Vox as Yhtye

A group of men all called Frank—except for one named Pekka—have had enough of life in their working-class neighborhood, so they set off for a better existence in the magical seaside district of Eira. But the way is long, and the group face many hurdles including stray dogs and defunct streetlights.

Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses

1994

English

5.6

♡ 7

53%

Adventure

Comedy

journey around the world

Music

return

rock band

Aki Kaurismäki Director

Aki Kaurismäki as Factory Worker imitating Chaplin

André Wilms as Lazar / Johnson / Elijah

Silu Seppälä as Leningrad Cowboy

Jyri Närvänen as Leningrad Cowboy

After years of fame and misfortune in Mexico, the members of the Leningrad Cowboys decide to return to their native village. Their former manager Vladimir, who now calls himself Moses lead them on their way home.

Crime and Punishment

1983

Finnish

7.0

♡ 11

79%

based on novel or book

Crime

Drama

Aki Kaurismäki Director

Hannu Lauri as Department Head Heinonen

Juuso Hirvikangas as Man at the Police Station

Matti Pellonpää as Nikander

Harri Marstio as Singer of the Restaurant Band

In Helsinki, an ex-law student turned slaughterhouse worker commits a senseless crime that catapults him into loneliness. Only a woman who accidentally arrived at the crime scene wants to follow him, but guilt and the tightening net of the police throw a shadow over their desperate love affair.

Hamlet Goes Into Business

1987

Finnish

6.8

♡ 10

79%

based on play or musical

shakespeare in modern dress

Aki Kaurismäki Director

Pertti Sveholm as 2. näyttelijä

Matti Pellonpää as Guard

Kari Väänänen as Lauri Polonius

Jaakko Talaskivi as Restaurant Customer

When Hamlet discovers his father’s deceased body, he finds himself pulled into a power struggle as his scheming uncle attempts to secure a monopoly on the Scandinavian rubber duck industry. Will Hamlet avenge his father? Will he become the king of rubber ducks? Does any of it really matter?

Fallen Leaves

2023

Finnish

♡ 27

97%

Aki Kaurismäki Director

Alma Pöysti as Ansa

Simon Al-Bazoon as Internet-kahvilan pitäjä

Martti Suosalo as Raunio

Alina Tomnikov as Tonja

In modern-day Helsinki, two lonely souls in search of love meet by chance in a karaoke bar. However, their path to happiness is beset by obstacles – from lost phone numbers to mistaken addresses, alcoholism, and a charming stray dog.

The Match Factory Girl

1990

Finnish

7.5

♡ 11

100%

parent child relationship

poison

Aki Kaurismäki Director

Silu Seppälä as Iris Rukka's brother

Erkki Friman as Member of dance band

Ismo Keinänen as Policeman

Marja Packalén as The doctor

Iris is a shy and dowdy young woman stuck in a dead-end job at a match factory, who dreams of finding love at the local dancehall. Finding herself pregnant after a one-night stand and abandoned by the father, Iris finally decides the time has come to get even and she begins to plot her revenge.

Shadows in Paradise

1986

Finnish

7.4

♡ 7

87%

Aki Kaurismäki Director

Ari Korhonen as

Neka Haapanen as Cook

Aki Kaurismäki as Hotel receptionist

Pentti Koski as Singer

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.

The Bohemian Life

1992

French

7.5

♡ 12

Aki Kaurismäki Director

Kenneth Colley as Balayeur de rues

Jean-Pierre Léaud as Blancheron

Samuel Fuller as Gassot

Louis Malle as Gentleman

Three penniless artists become friends in modern-day Paris: Rodolfo, an Albanian painter with no visa, Marcel, a playwright and magazine editor with no publisher, and Schaunard, a post-modernist composer of execrable noise.

Ariel

1988

Finnish

7.4

♡ 7

87%

Aki Kaurismäki Director

Marja Packalén as Judge

Juuso Hirvikangas as Man in the Harbor

Matti Pellonpää as Mikkonen

Sakari Kuosmanen as Prison Gatekeeper

The Man Without a Past

2002

Finnish

7.6

♡ 16

98%

Aki Kaurismäki Director

Sakari Kuosmanen as Anttila

Konsta Väänänen as Avustaja

Markku Pätilä as Jokinen

Silu Seppälä as Ruffian

Arriving in Helsinki, a nameless man is beaten within an inch of his life by thugs, miraculously recovering only to find that he has completely lost his memory. Back on the streets, he attempts to begin again from zero, befriending a moody dog and becoming besotted with a Salvation Army volunteer.

I Hired a Contract Killer

1990

English

7.1

♡ 14

87%

Aki Kaurismäki Director

Michael O'Hagan as Killer's Boss

Aki Kaurismäki as Man Selling Dark Glasses

Kenneth Colley as The Killer

Serge Reggiani as Vic

After losing his job and realizing that he is alone in the world, a businessman opts to voluntarily end his life. Lacking courage, he hires a contract killer to do the job. Then, while awaiting his demise, he meets a woman and promptly falls in love.

The Other Side of Hope

2017

Finnish

7.2

♡ 14

92%

european refugee crisis

illegal immigration

restaurant management

syrian refugee

war refugees

working immigrants

Aki Kaurismäki Director

Elina Knihtilä as Aluevalvontaviranomainen

Simon Al-Bazoon as Mazdak

Tommi Korpela as Melartin

Maria Järvenhelmi as Vastaanottokeskuksen virkailija

A restaurateur befriends a Syrian refugee who has recently arrived in Finland.

Drifting Clouds

1996

Finnish

7.6

♡ 10

100%

husband wife relationship

Aki Kaurismäki Director

Markku Pätilä as

Joni Wirama as

Matti Pellonpää as Lapsi valokuvassa

Silu Seppälä as Rakennusmies

The ever-poker-faced Ilona loses her job as a restaurant hostess, as her tram driver husband, Lauri, also finds himself out of work. Together they must hit the streets of Helsinki, facing up to hardship and humiliation in their quest for survival, guided through the gloom by a ray of hope.

Actors

Directors

Sort

View

Search

Leningrad Cowboys Go America

Lights in the Dusk

Le Havre

Calamari Union

Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses

Crime and Punishment

Hamlet Goes Into Business

Fallen Leaves

The Match Factory Girl

Shadows in Paradise

The Bohemian Life

Ariel

The Man Without a Past

I Hired a Contract Killer

The Other Side of Hope

Drifting Clouds