Juha

Juha, 1999
35mm, Black & White, 78’

Based on the 1911 novel by Finnish author Juhani Aho the film tells the story of a woman who is seduced by a city slicker to run away from her husband Juha, a stolid farmer; but the slicker entraps her in a brothel. Portraying with a sensitive look people living at the border between Finland’s privileged cities and the poor rural areas the film creates a neo-silent movie: In this last silent movie of the 20th century the silent picture virtually evolves into something new. Accompanied by intertitles, a melodramatic score, and dazzling soundtrack, this time Kaurismäki tells us that innocence has decayed.