Three middle aged men, long time friends, get together in a normally closed Karaoke bar to drink their failed lives away. Secrets are revealed and sometimes discovered and they sing their miseries one by one during Karaoke sessions. The arrival of a lone woman to the bar will facilitate revealing of the final secret.
Acting
Heiskanen and Sveholm's lived-in, unshowy male friendship.
Direction
Mika's warmer, messier counterpoint to brother Aki's deadpan minimalism.
Sound
Karaoke as confessional—each song choice a character study.
Director
Mika Kaurismäki
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Mika Kaurismäki is Aki Kaurismäki's older brother; this film gently mocks the 'Finnish silence' trope Aki perfected.
The karaoke bar setting weaponizes a typically joyful activity—Finnish karaoke culture is notoriously serious and competitive, making the men's pathetic performances doubly tragic.
FI
