''Calamari Union'' is a 1985 Finnish surreal comedy film, the second full-length film by the director

Aki Kaurismäki Aki Olavi Kaurismäki (; born 4 April 1957) is a Finnish film director and screenwriter. He is best known for the award-winning '' Drifting Clouds'' (1996), '' The Man Without a Past'' (2002), ''Le Havre'' (2011), '' The Other Side of Hope'' (201 ...

. The film's cast includes well-known Finnish actors and rock musicians.

Plot

Fifteen desperate men named Frank band together to escape from the repressive

Kallio Kallio (; ; literally " the rock") is a district and a neighbourhood in Helsinki, the capital of Finland, located on the eastern side of the Helsinki peninsula about one kilometre north from the city centre. It is one of the most densely pop ...

district of

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

. An English-speaking man named Pekka joins the bar room conspirators, whose avoidance of last names helps them outsmart obstructing forces as they sneak through dark alleys and the tunnels of the

Helsinki metro The Helsinki Metro (, ) is a rapid transit system serving the Helsinki capital region, Finland. It is the world's most northern, the world's northernmost metro system. It was opened to the general public on 2 August 1982 after 27 years of planni ...

. Taking advantage of the night, their goal is to reach the magical seaside district of Eira.

Cast

Reception

An absurdist comedy, the film is considered to be a satirical cult classic. Caryn James of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' described the film as "gleefully absurdist", adding that Kaurismäki "takes over the American gangster film and flavors it with his improbable humor". Others have drawn connections between '' The Saimaa Gesture'' and ''Calamari Union'' and the Finnish punk movement.

References

External links

* *
''Calamari Union''
at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

* * * 1985 films 1980s Finnish-language films 1980s Finnish films Films shot in Finland Films set in Helsinki Films directed by Aki Kaurismäki Finnish black-and-white films Finnish independent films 1985 comedy films Finnish comedy films {{1980s-comedy-film-stub