Concluding cult filmmaker Aki Kaurismäki’s ‘loser trilogy’ that began with ‘Drifting Clouds’ and ‘The Man Without a Past’, ‘Lights in the Dusk’ is a blackly comic cautionary tale of loneliness and exploitation. Janne Hyytiäinen plays Hoisteinen, a shy and awkward night watchman shunned by his colleagues and whose well-meaning actions are foiled at every turn. His luck seems to change when he meets the glamorous blonde Mirja (Maria Järvelhelmi), but too late finds himself helplessly embroiled in a world of criminal deceit and lies. Beautifully shot, with droll performances and an eclectic soundtrack, Kaurismäki’s film combines shades of film noir with his trademark bone-dry humour creating a typically distinctive deadpan masterpiece.
