Esko Nikkari
1938 - 2006Esko Nikkari (23 November 1938 Lapua, Finland – 17 December 2006 in Seinäjoki, Finland) was a prolific Finnish actor who made more than 70 appearances on film and television. He debuted in 1974 in the movie Karvat.
Nikkari was a workhorse of the Kaurismäki brothers, with whom he first worked on Rikos ja rangaistus in 1983. His last role with Aki Kaurismäki was in Man without a Past in 2002. He starred in the 1994 film Aapo opposite actors such as Taisto Reimaluoto, Ulla Koivuranta and Kai Lehtinen. More recently, he has appeared in a number of Timo Koivusalo films such as Kaksipäisen kotkan varjossa (2005), which is the last full-length movie he appeared in.
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The Winter War
Pekka Parikka
Taneli Mäkelä, Vesa Vierikko
Russia attacked Finland in late November 1939. This film tells the story of a Finnish platoon of reservists from the municipality of Kauhava in the province of Pohjanmaa/Ostrobothnia who leave their homes and go to war. The film focuses on the farmer brothers Martti and Paavo Hakala.
The Winter War
The Man Without a Past
Aki Kaurismäki
Markku Peltola, Kati Outinen
Arriving in Helsinki, a nameless man is beaten within an inch of his life by thugs, miraculously recovering only to find that he has completely lost his memory. Back on the streets, he attempts to begin again from zero, befriending a moody dog and becoming besotted with a Salvation Army volunteer.
The Man Without a Past
Drifting Clouds
Aki Kaurismäki
Kati Outinen, Kari Väänänen
Tram driver Lauri loses his job. Shortly later, the restaurant where his wife Ilona works as a headwaitress is closed. Too proud, to receive money from the social welfare system, they hardly try to find new jobs. But they are completely unlucky and clumsy, one disaster is followed by the next. Finally, their courage, confidence, and their unbreakable love triumph over the fate.
Drifting Clouds
Shadows in Paradise
Aki Kaurismäki
Matti Pellonpää, Kati Outinen
Nikander, a rubbish collector and would-be entrepreneur finds his plans for success dashed when his business associate dies. One evening, he meets Ilona, a down-on-her luck cashier in a local supermarket—and, falteringly, a bond begins to develop between them.
Shadows in Paradise
Ariel
Aki Kaurismäki
Turo Pajala, Susanna Haavisto
Taisto Kasurinen is a Finnish coal miner whose father has just committed suicide and who is framed for a crime he did not commit. In jail, he starts to dream about leaving the country and starting a new life. He escapes from prison but things don't go as planned...
Ariel
Arvottomat
Mika Kaurismäki
Matti Pellonpää, Pirkko Hämäläinen
Manne, Harri, and Ville Alfa are rootless twenty-somethings in search of purpose for their banal lives. After Manne steals a priceless painting from a group of petty criminals, Manne and Harri flee from the gangsters across Finland, while Ville goes to Paris. On the road they meet Veera, an old girlfriend of Harri's, and try to avoid the gangsters in pursuit.
The Worthless
Pohjanmaa
Pekka Parikka
Taneli Mäkelä, Esko Salminen
Based on a novel of the same name by the Finnish author, Antti Tuuri, this delicious late-80's comedy builds its dark humour on the stereotypical mentality of the northern part of Finland. While perhaps not as entertaining to a person unfamiliar with Finnish traditions, the brilliant acting, directing, plus the warm, beautiful Finnish summer more than make up for the cultural gap.The story begins with a group of brothers with their families coming up to honour the memory of their recently deceased father. Spending time together, opening old wounds and creating new ones... it all boils down to brotherhood. No matter what happens, brothers take care of their own.
Plainlands
Klaani: Tarina Sammakoitten suvusta
Mika Kaurismäki
Markku Halme, Minna Soisalo
Young Alex Sammako has seen his brothers defy the law in a series of deeds that first land them in jail, and then, after they escape and return to their rural home, land them back in the lap of their locally notorious family. Alex wants nothing to do with them. He is in love with Mirja, whose family is not that different from the Sammakos, but who shares Alex's viewpoints and feelings. Not helping matters is a police department convinced that all Sammakos are bad, and the family itself, pressuring Alex to follow in their murky footsteps.
The Clan: Tale of the Frogs
Kivenpyörittäjän kylä
Markku Pölönen
Martti Suosalo, Henrika Andersson
Pekka arrives back to his home village of Jerusalem to celebrate the last wedding of the village. His own marriage seems to have reached a dead end. The people of the village gather to prepare for the event, and the bitter spectrum of all human life, with its joys and sorrows, is condensed into one summer's day.
The Last Wedding
