An impoverished poet, a painter from Albania and an Irish composer, all down on their luck, meet in Paris, and struggle to survive by sharing whatever little money they have in order to maintain a certain, although basic and simple, standard of living. When the painter (Matti Pellonpaa) falls in love, their lives change forever.

Aki Kaurismäki - the Finnish cinema auteur.
Five early films from the master of dry, dark deadpan humour. His films rely on low-key acting, simple cinematic storytelling and are always accompanied by stylish soundtracks and calm, but beautiful cinematography. No other film-maker is quite able to celebrate the lives of such uniquely inarticulate, alienated, unglamorous or misunderstood characters with such style and dry wit. His film 'The Man Without a Past' won the Grand Prix at Cannes Film Festival 2002.