Calamari Union

CinematographyTimo SalminenEdited byMusic byDistributed byFinnkino81 minutesCountryFinlandLanguageFinnish

Calamari Union is a 1985 Finnish surreal^[1] comedy film, the second full-length film by the director Aki Kaurismäki. The film's cast includes well-known Finnish actors and rock musicians.

Plot

Fifteen desperate men named Frank band together to escape from the repressive Kallio district of Helsinki. An English-speaking man named Pekka joins the bar room conspirators, whose avoidance of last names helps them outsmart obstructing forces as they sneak through dark alleys and the tunnels of the Helsinki metro. Taking advantage of the night, their goal is to reach the magical seaside district of Eira.

Cast

Reception

An absurdist comedy,^[2] the film is considered to be a satirical cult classic.^[3] Caryn James of The New York Times described the film as "gleefully absurdist", adding that Kaurismäki "takes over the American gangster film and flavors it with his improbable humor".^[4] Others have drawn connections between The Saimaa Gesture and Calamari Union and the Finnish punk movement.^[5]

References

External links

• Calamari Union at IMDb
• Calamari Union at AllMovie
• Calamari Union at the British Board of Film Classification
• Calamari Union at the British Film Institute^{[better source needed]}
• Calamari Union at Elonet (in Finnish)
• Calamari Union at Rotten Tomatoes
• Calamari Union at the Swedish Film Institute Database