Drifting Clouds

Ilona works as a head waitress at the "Dubrovnik" restaurant, but after the owner changes, she gets fired. Her husband, a tram driver, is also fired. The country is in recession, and jobs are scarce... But this is Kaurismäki, so don’t doubt it: everything will be alright.

The film is dedicated to the memory of Aki Kaurismäki's beloved actor, Matti Pellonpää, who passed away at the age of 44 just two weeks before filming began. The photograph of the child that Ilona looks at sadly in the film is a childhood photo of Matti.

After filming, Kaurismäki and his brother bought the "Dubrovnik" restaurant and turned it into a vodka bar.

Oh, how we love Kaurismäki. We love him for his subtle humor in the spirit of Jim Jarmusch (by the way, they are friends). For the typically Finnish melancholy, inexplicably mixed with a confident optimism. For the warmth and love for everyone – for the characters, for the viewers, and for the whole world, even if the world can be cynical and cold.

Ecumenical Jury Prize and nomination for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival