Cinema Laika

Veljko Vidak / France & Finland / 2023 / 81 min

The nature around Karkkila is breathtakingly beautiful. But not much happens in the small Finnish town. The country’s greatest film director, Aki Kaurismäki, decides to do something about this, and together with his friend, poet Mika Lätti, he sets about building the town’s first cinema inside an old factory. The cinema will be called Kino Laika – named after Kaurismäki’s dogs – and to help them, they have the colourful inhabitants of Karkkila, who race around on motorbikes and in Cadillacs to the sound of rock n’ roll in leather jackets and with wet, slicked-back hairstyles. For once, Aki Kaurismäki is not behind the camera, but in front of it as the film follows the construction from ramshackle foundry to what must be one of the world’s most stylish cinemas. ‘Cinema Laika’ is a warm mix of cool Finnish humour and French elegance, with clear inspiration from Kaurismäki’s own signature style. And then Jim Jarmusch suddenly appears.