Lights in the Dusk

Original title: Laitakaupungin valot

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In Helsinki, a lonely night watchman is caught up in a series of misadventures with a femme fatale and a crooked businessman.In Helsinki, a lonely night watchman is caught up in a series of misadventures with a femme fatale and a crooked businessman.In Helsinki, a lonely night watchman is caught up in a series of misadventures with a femme fatale and a crooked businessman.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

8.2K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 3 wins & 7 nominations

Photos24

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Storyline

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Trivia
Suomen Filmikamari, which selects the Finnish candidate for Academy Awards Best Foreign-Language Picture, had already chosen Laitakaupungin valot in September 2006, but in October 2006 Aki Kaurismäki informed them that he did not want his film considered for that competition. This also meant that there was no Finnish entry in the Academy Awards pre-selection.

Quotes
Bank Manager: [Bank manager is reviewing Koistinen's application for a small-business loan] Tell me, Koistinen... Are you some kind of comedian?
Koistinen: Why?
Bank Manager: Did you come to cheer us up? What are these papers? A trade school diploma... Did you think it will give you a loan of two hundred thousand - without any security, any guarantors?
Koistinen: I'll guarantee it myself, until the company gets going and...
Koistinen: [Interrupting him] Guarantees from trash like you are worthless.
Koistinen: But I've got an account here.
Bank Manager: I won't even take your application further. It's rejected. You're only wasting my time and yours. Go away.

Connections
Follows Drifting Clouds (1996)

Soundtracks
El día que me quieras
Carlos Gardel

User reviews36

Review

Featured review

8/10

It is still Kaurismäki, is it?

Compared to normal Hollywood movies I still enjoy Kaurismäki's films, but this is definitely not one of his best ones.

One of the biggest problems of this film is the director's attitude towards his main character. Koistinen's situation is getting worse with every action he takes. That's not the problem, but Kaurismäki doesn't offer a minimum of possible explanations to Koistinen's behaviour.

I don't expect a complete interpretation of his work by a director or by an author, but as a viewer of a film or as a reader of a book you need at least some information to start at. So I can only imagine that the reasons for Koistinen's behaviour lie in his state of mind and/or in his past.

But this is criticism at a high level. There are still some typical Kaurismäki-scenes in this film which I like a lot.