Doing a Lot With Little : The Camera's Minimalist Point of View in the Films of Aki Kaurismäki

Aki Kaurismäki’s film style has often been labelled minimalist, but the concept has been used without an exact definition and even fundamental questions relating to his minimalism have gone unanswered. This article contextualizes Kaurismäki’s cinematography as well as explores in detail his systematic and significant use of camera techniques that can be productively understood as minimalist. Examples demonstrate how Kaurismäki’s camera positions the audience in a specific relationship to the story world and its characters, guiding viewers to experience these from what is termed the camera’s minimalist point of view.Peer reviewe