Finnish director Mika Kaurismäki's latest comedy tells the story of an absentee father who reunites with a son for a day trip.
A mismatched-buddy road film holding one or two surprises more than such tales usually do, Mika Kaurismäki's Road North pairs a son with the father he never knew. Exhibiting few of the quirks associated with the Kaurismäki name but not exactly generic, its familiar pleasures should satisfy arthouse patrons; if it were in English, the story would easily have connected with a more mainstream audience.
The script, cowritten by Kaurismäki and Sami Keski-Vähälä, makes a predictable arc from small revelations to large ones, with breaks for comic mishaps and even a genuinely charming musical number. But while there's a mission behind the trip, Kaurismäki stands at arm's length from clichés about emotional self-discovery and learning to love that which irritates us.
Road North
Tie Pohjoiseen
MS12
Genre
Drama, Black comedy
Director
Mika Kaurismäki
Run time
1h 50min
Cast
Vesa-Matti Loiri, Samuli Edelmann, Peter Franzén
Genre
Drama, Black comedy
Director
Mika Kaurismäki
Run time
1h 50min
Cast
Vesa-Matti Loiri, Samuli Edelmann, Peter Franzén
Finnish director Mika Kaurismäki's latest comedy tells the story of an absentee father who reunites with a son for a day trip.
A mismatched-buddy road film holding one or two surprises more than such tales usually do, Mika Kaurismäki's Road North pairs a son with the father he never knew. Exhibiting few of the quirks associated with the Kaurismäki name but not exactly generic, its familiar pleasures should satisfy arthouse patrons; if it were in English, the story would easily have connected with a more mainstream audience.
The script, cowritten by Kaurismäki and Sami Keski-Vähälä, makes a predictable arc from small revelations to large ones, with breaks for comic mishaps and even a genuinely charming musical number. But while there's a mission behind the trip, Kaurismäki stands at arm's length from clichés about emotional self-discovery and learning to love that which irritates us.
A mismatched-buddy road film holding one or two surprises more than such tales usually do, Mika Kaurismäki's Road North pairs a son with the father he never knew. Exhibiting few of the quirks associated with the Kaurismäki name but not exactly generic, its familiar pleasures should satisfy arthouse patrons; if it were in English, the story would easily have connected with a more mainstream audience.
The script, cowritten by Kaurismäki and Sami Keski-Vähälä, makes a predictable arc from small revelations to large ones, with breaks for comic mishaps and even a genuinely charming musical number. But while there's a mission behind the trip, Kaurismäki stands at arm's length from clichés about emotional self-discovery and learning to love that which irritates us.
Info
Rating
Under 12 Not Recommended
Production year
2012
Global distributor
-
Local distributor
Estinfilm OÜ
In cinema
11/21/2012