It's hard to believe there's much left for directors to say about loneliness and alienation in films by now. But, perhaps thanks to its Finnish accent, Aki Kaurismaki's "Lights in the Dusk," which screens this week at UWM's Union Theatre, 2200 E. Kenwood Blvd., is a compelling film.
Koistenen is a sad sack security guard who draws taunts from his fellow workers, is desperate for love and appears to have no friends (except for the woman who runs the chipper van) and few prospects for improving his dull, emotionally barren life.
He lives in modern Finland, a thriving place, which the director likes to point out via scene-setting shots amid modern skyscrapers and new-looking housing developments. But Koistenen isn't reaping much in the way of financial or social benefits. However, despite his bare bones existence, he still dreams of starting his own business and talks about turning his life around.
But a local gangster has other ideas and uses a femme fatale as bait to pull of a theft and frame Koistenen for it. Just when things couldn't seem to get worse for our poor hero, they do. But how bad will things have to get for Koistenen to finally say "uncle?"
Although wrapped in a depressing cloak, "Lights in the Dusk" is a hopeful film.
It plays Friday, Nov. 30 at 9 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 2 at 5 p.m. On the same nights (at 7 p.m. Friday, at 5 and 9 p.m. Saturday and 7 p.m. Sunday) is "I Don't Want to Sleep Alone," the new feature film from Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-Liang.
Admission is $5, $4 for students.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
