Aki Kaurismaki’s 1986 film, *Varjoja paratiisissa* (*Shadows in Paradise*), is an early work from the Finnish director and one of the most unusual romantic comedies I've encountered. The story follows Nikander (Matti Pellonpää), a garbage collector who becomes interested in Ilona, a supermarket cashier with a melancholic nature. We observe their awkward efforts to build a relationship: appointments that abruptly conc…