Varjoja Paratiisissa (Shadows in Paradise) (1986)

88% of users liked it
(445 ratings)

In this romantic comedy, Nikander (Matti Pellonpaa) is a lonely garbage-truck driver who meets the homely check-out clerk Ilona (Kati Outinen). Their painful shyness makes for slow romantic progress, until Ilona loses her job, and the two rendezvous in a cozy country motel. Nikander proposes after… More In this romantic comedy, Nikander (Matti Pellonpaa) is a lonely garbage-truck driver who meets the homely check-out clerk Ilona (Kati Outinen). Their painful shyness makes for slow romantic progress, until Ilona loses her job, and the two rendezvous in a cozy country motel. Nikander proposes after returning items stolen by Ilona in retaliation for her being fired. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 16 min.
Directed By: Aki Kaurismäki
Genres: Drama, Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Oct 17, 1986 Wide
On DVD: Sep 23, 2008

Critic Reviews

Anton Bitel, Eye for Film
Gives the stale conventions of the rom com the dark flipside they need, while downsizing that genre's normally bourgeois sensibilities into a class all its own.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Stefanie C

Signature Kaurismaki! Beautiful composition and deadpan humor, this is not your typical rom com. If you have a penchant for stoicism and cigarettes, this film is an askew vision of Helsinki's outskirts. This debut bodes well for the remainder of the 'Proletariat… More
Signature Kaurismaki! Beautiful composition and deadpan humor, this is not your typical rom com. If you have a penchant for stoicism and cigarettes, this film is an askew vision of Helsinki's outskirts. This debut bodes well for the remainder of the 'Proletariat Trilogy.'
Anthony L

The first film in Aki Kaurismäki's 'Underdog' trilogy is a brilliant example of how bounteous minimalist cinema can be. The story is simple, funny and touching without ever being over the top. This is cinema in its purest form, no nonsense, just a joy to watch. I'm… More
The first film in Aki Kaurismäki's 'Underdog' trilogy is a brilliant example of how bounteous minimalist cinema can be. The story is simple, funny and touching without ever being over the top. This is cinema in its purest form, no nonsense, just a joy to watch. I'm absolutely gutted to find out that my new favourite actor died 14 years ago! :o(
Walter M

In "Shadows in Paradise," Nikander(Matti Pellonpaa), a garbageman who is learning English in his spare time, is approached by a co-worker(Esko Nikkari), to join the waste retrieval business he is planning on setting up. Despite having grave misgivings, Nikander agrees but… More
In "Shadows in Paradise," Nikander(Matti Pellonpaa), a garbageman who is learning English in his spare time, is approached by a co-worker(Esko Nikkari), to join the waste retrieval business he is planning on setting up. Despite having grave misgivings, Nikander agrees but soon after, his new business partner drops dead on the job. Distraught, Nikander goes on a bender and wakes up in the drunk tank, meeting Melartin(Sakari Kuosmanen) who gets a job with Nikander's help. Meanwhile, he also makes the acquaintance of Ilona(Kati Outinen) whose summary firing from her job at a supermarket causes her to steal cash from her former employer. Nobody ever meets cute in an Aki Kaurismaki movie and "Shadows in Paradise" is no exception. As usual, he does not dwell on the more fantastic tropes of romance, instead settling for the more mundane which suits his characters well. These characters live and work in a reality where jobs can be a precarious thing and what ones there are can be hard and thankless work like garbagemen. So, it is important to not look down on people just because of their jobs since what they do is just as important as anybody else's.