Ariel

Pros: Cliché-free "alternative" film fare; well-paced and engaging; strong performances; dour-faced humor
Cons: Some viewers may have trouble relating to the Finnish emotional minimalism

Here's a change-of-pace film that isn't going to tie you down in tedium. The Finnish independent filmmaking Kaurismäki brothers are currently producing about one fifth of all of the films emerging from their Scandinavian homeland, but, more ...