Kuolleet lehdet

A film scene, a movie theater and lots of film posters form a chain of references that turns Kaurismäki's ode to humanity, love and solidarity into a veritable treasure trove of quotations. A poster for ROCCO E I SUOI FRATELLI is particularly striking in Kaurismäki's most recent film about an obstacle-ridden rapprochement between two loners Ansa and Holappa. Both his and Visconti's cityscapes are characterized by (neo-)realist despair. But while Visconti develops epic and mythical undertones, Kaurismäki captivates with his cinematic abstraction full of colorful dramaturgy and absurdly laconic humor. (mg)