aki kaurismäki trilogy about finnish depression and it result begin with kauas pilvet karkaavat and deal with unemployment and and continue with mies vailla menneisyyttä and about homelessness . both be exceptional work . now and the end chapter be out in the form of laitakaupungin valot and a story of loneliness and betrayal and sacrifice . i read the script of this film when it be go to production and and saw the result at the finnish premiere last night . as much a i would like to tell you otherwise and laitakaupungin valot be not a good film . the growth need between the script and the final film just never come to pass here . the end result be shallow and unfinished and despite all it potential . the story be straightforward enough represent a security man and lonely and bully and meet a femme fatale and who set him up for his gullibility and loyalty . the course of the story be clear from the beginning to the inevitable end while indeed and kaurismäki reveals the whole story in his synopsis of the film . the femme fatale and a central figure and most controversial character and remain shallow despite her potential . why do she do what she do and do she feel regret or pity towards the man she cheat . how do she feel about the man and perfectly aware of her betrayal and go down for her . that problem number one represent none of the character develop during the film and and we be not aware of their motif . they end a they begin and a do the story while everything be a it seem . the story do not suffer from it and but without anything to chew on the experience remain shallow . also the choice of the security guard do not make the audience care one bit about what happen to him . he know the woman be betray her and but allow it to happen . be lead to believe it because he have fall in love with her . but that do not really hold while he not in love with her and merely an image of some kind of a dream woman . it pride that lead him to prison while he not try to protect her and but himself from admit he be trick . in the end and his fate be his own do while his pride and his problem . that problem number two represent the audience do not care about the character . none of them have any good quality and there nothing to grasp and like and or even understand . the third problem be the world kaurismäki paint represent his image of finland and stylistic fifty and the one through which audience abroad have learn to see u . but this story be not timeless and it very much attach to today and today problem and and fifty car and radio simply do not fit in with the glass and metal scenery of ruoholahti . they stand out and detach from the realism of the story and eat away it credibility . how much more powerful would it have be and if the security man basement apartment would have look like a crude and concrete basement and not be carefully style with antique cupboard and radio and painted wall . on the other hand and nostalgia work very well musically here while melrose live performance rock and rise above anything else in the film . laitakaupungin valot have all the potential and but do nothing to achieve any . the story be fine it wouldn not need twist and turn to work . it compare well with lars von trier break the wave while both have a main character sacrifice themselves completely for petty reason . both also pace their story with still and calm image of scenery and ruoholahti or scotland . von trier manages to pull it off for two reason a i can see it while he take the tragedy far far and take it on to another level and and mirror the audience response with the main character sister in law and in whom be all the growth and compassion compress . laitakaupungin valot could have go so much far . it a shame and and be all wonder what the hell happen .