SummaryLights in the Dusk concludes the trilogy began by "Drifting Clouds" and "The Man Without a Past." Where the trilogy's first film was about unemployment and the second about homelessness, this final installment is about loneliness. (Strand Releasing)
SummaryLights in the Dusk concludes the trilogy began by "Drifting Clouds" and "The Man Without a Past." Where the trilogy's first film was about unemployment and the second about homelessness, this final installment is about loneliness. (Strand Releasing)
Kaurismaki's characteristically minimalist humor and wry empathy make brief appearances, but be warned: His Helsinki is a cold, dark place unfit for all but the hardiest visitors.
Kaurismäki’s spare style and economical storytelling are well-suited to this particular story about loneliness, as the director never muddies the frame with sentimental dross or lugubrious inclinations.
So stylized and slow-moving (even at a spare 75 minutes) that you may have trouble adapting to its hypnotic rhythms -- but if you can, there are sumptuous visual rewards to be found, plus the faintest emotional uptick right at the end.
Lights in the Dusk derives scant excitement from its melodramatic plot, which satisfies a dismal, ineluctable formula with stultifying efficiency. Nor is it enlivened by the airless performances.
Lights will put in more appearances at festivals before achieving a brief theatrical window for Kaurismaki devotees to gaze through. Most will do so with discouragement.
Production Company
Sputnik,
Yleisradio (YLE),
Pandora Filmproduktion,
ZDF/Arte,
Pyramide Productions,
Arte France Cinéma,
Canal+,
BIM Distribuzione,
C More Entertainment