Aki Kaurismäki made his directorial debut in 1983 with this adaptation of Dostoevsky’s intensely psychological Crime And Punishment. A notoriously complex work, Kaurismäki succeeded in transforming Dostoevsky’s vision of suffering and death into a clearly realized portrait of modern-day Finland.

Young slaughterhouse worker Rahikainen murders a businessman in a bid to ensure justice for a previous crime. He doesn’t believe he has done anything wrong, and the fact that there’s a witness Eeva (Aino Seppo) doesn’t perturb him. Secure in the knowledge that his crime was well-intentioned; Rahikainen neither defends nor protects himself, and even encourages Eeva to turn him in. Eeva, on her part, is torn between confessing to the police and protecting Rahikainen.

Kaurismäki’s talent for extracting complex emotions becomes evident as the film delves deeper and deeper into the psychology of a killer. Rahikainen starts to grow increasingly distanced from events around him, barely concerned with being caught and punished. As his faith in his own moral system is eroded, Rahikainen loses his strongest weapon in a battle he cannot afford to lose. Crime And Punishment is ultimately a film about the desperate rebellion of a young man against society.

Aki Kaurismäki’s impressive debut is a visually compelling film, with the concrete jungles and gritty streets of Helsinki telling their own story. The film won the 1984 Jussi for Best Debut Film and Best Script.