Only connect. In gray, class-conscious Helsinki, Nikander is a stoic, solitary garbage man. Cigarettes, coffee, bingo games, and English lessons border his circumscribed life. There are few words, no smiles, and no laughter. Violence and the threat of violence seem close at hand. Ilona, a supermarket clerk who frequently loses her job, bandages Nikander's hand one evening; later he gets her out of a jam, and they begin an on-again off-again relationship. "Why do I keep losing?," Nikander asks his co-worker, Melartin, a man Nikander met in jail and helped get a job. Can he break his losing streak?

Starring:

Aki Kaurismäki, Esko Nikkari, Jukka-Pekka Palo, Kati Outinen, Mari Rantasila, Mato Valtonen, Matti Pellonpää, Pekka Laiho, Sakari Kuosmanen, Sakke Järvenpää, Svante Korkiakoski

Genre:

Comedy, Romance