9 hrs 54 mins with jeanne

christmas, capitalism, retail! perhaps too close to real life rn except that my manager is definitely not james stewart

Is that all there is? This film says yes, slightly teary-eyed and with a gentle smile.

Romanticisation of a “simple life” aside, the message is somewhat touching.

Hirayama lives a life of chosen reclusion and structured routine surrounded by the comforting past - books, music, photos. His world is occasionally disrupted by his encounters, and we get a glimpse of past scars and the inevitable future. Hirayama continues to diligently carry out his rituals day by day, not as an escape or an anchoring purpose, but because how else do we live?

A modern day fairy tale and the near impossibility of romance between working class people in a capitalist society.

Kaurismäki knows this, but still he has hope.