Random is nice

On Thursday I was studying and doing groupwork, when I suddenly saw my friend's post in Facebook about one cinema that was showing Aki Kaurismäki's Le Havre with the director present in the occation! I thought it was somewhere in Porto and I got really excited about going there and meeting him. Well, turns out that it was in Viana do Castelo, somthing like 80km from Porto. I was checking the trains, but there was no way for me to get back to Porto after the movie. I was a bit desperate, and also thinking how much effort should I put in this one, considering the chance he won't show up.

Well, then something very Portuguese happened. This friend of mine who posted the link in FB in the first place invited me to stay in his place over night and the problem was solved. I asked our mutual friend to join the random trip and she was in, too. I packed and ran in the train, and found myself in Viana do Castelo looking for the cinema. My local friend arrived just in time and I thought there was going to be maybe 5 people, but the cinema was full. Before the movie started, Aki Kaurismäki gave a (drunken) speach in Portuguese and then the movie began. And for those who haven't seen it: it's great.

After the movie Kaurismäki was hanging out in the lobby talking to people. I had no idea what I should say to him, and because he is not known to be the nicest man to talk to I thought I'd just skip it. But then I saw him giving autographs for other people so I got courage and went to ask for one. He was a bit surprised that a Finnish person was there. Which is understandable: I went to see a Finnish film, that is in French, with Portuguese subtitles in a small town in Northern Portugal. You would think there was an easier way to see that movie. But easy is boring. Anyway, I was very nervous about talking to him and I told him some very random stuff which he hopefully won't remember (I guess he was quite drunk). But that was fun! I also learned that he soesn't have a mobile phone, only landline. Suits him.

Then we went out and (after visiting a church, Easter tradition) and I fell asleep happily at my friend's place, where his mom had prepared bed and breakfast for us.