Directed by:
Aki KaurismäkiScreenplay:
Aki KaurismäkiCinematography:
Timo SalminenCast:
Timo Eränkö, Kari Heiskanen, Asmo Hurula, Sakari Järvenpää, Sakari Kuosmanen, Dave Lindholm, Mikko Mattila, Pate Mustajärvi, Tuomari Nurmio (more)Plots(1)
Fourteen desperate men named Frank, band together to escape from a repressive section of Helsinki. An English-speaking non-Frank named Pekka joins the barroom conspirators, whose avoidance of last names, and any affect, help them outsmart overwhelming forces as they sneak through dark subway tunnels and alleys, hoping against despair to reach magical seaside Eira. The Calamari Unionists take advantage of unending night to venture their intrepid journey. (Artificial Eye)
(more)Reviews (1)
Frank meets Frank and asks him: Have you seen Frank? Kaurismäki's black-and-white mix of punk revolt, surrealist out of the ordinary and homage to cursed decadent souls. A bunch of guys named Frank are repeating the migration of nations in a lone city. And unlike the ancient tribes, it has a much lower success rate, because the city is full of traps, and the promised land may not even exist. Beneath the comedy crust slumbers a rather disillusioned social account of the impossibility and ridiculousness of revolt and escape from a bleak life on the margins. There's a certain dilettante in it, but it matches the testimony. So the only problem is that there are not a lot of strong situations in the film. Aki shoots himself.
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