Road North

Tie Pohjoiseen

MS12

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.

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.

Info

Rating

Under 12 Not Recommended

Production year

2012

Global distributor

-

Local distributor

Estinfilm OÜ

In cinema

11/21/2012