Aki Kaurismaki's Proletariat Trilogy (Criterion Collection)

First, Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki ("Leningrad Cowboys Go America") reveals that even the simplest of men can indulge grand dreams, as a lowly trash collector nurtures a desire to start his own company after more than two decades of service to others. Fate has other plans, in the darkly ironic "Shadows in Paradise" (1986). Matti Pellonpää, Kati Outinen star. Next, the offbeat and satiric comedy "Ariel" (1988) follows a laid-off miner who embarks on a cross-country odyssey in his white Cadillac. Along the way he picks up a divorcée, and the two launch a crime spree. Turo Pajala, Susanna Haavisto star. Finally, the life of "The Match Factory Girl" (1990) slides even further downward when the man she loves stops seeing her. This time, however, she plans to cope with her problem in a unique way. Outinen, Elina Salo star. 3 1/2 hrs. total on three discs. Widescreen; Soundtrack: Finnish Dolby Digital stereo; Subtitles: English. In Finnish with English subtitles.