Aki Kaurismäki Collection: Volume 1

Aki Kaurismäki has been writing, directing, producing and editing his own films since the early eighties, and his filmography shows a remarkably consistent and idiosyncratic vision where grim realism and heady romanticism meet in a surreal borderland where deadpan reigns. No fan of early Jim Jarmusch, or of quirky miserabilism in general, can afford to miss these bleakly funny gems - and fortunately the good folk at Artificial Eye have taken it upon themselves to give most of the Finnish auteur's back catalogue its dvd premiere.

First up is a collection of the so-called underdog (or workers') trilogy. Three films, three downtrodden protagonists, three different (but equally imperfect) responses to the oppression of the underclass.

In Shadows in Paradise (1986), a lonely garbage truck driver finds solidarity with a mistreated shop assistant.

In Ariel (1988), an unemployed miner is joined by a multi-tasking single mother in his bid to escape to a better world.

In The Match Factory Girl (1990), a production line worker tries to mend her shattered dreams through acts of vengeance.