Juha (1999) review

Sheltered Marja (Kati Outinen) lives with her crippled husband Juha (Sakari Kuosmanen) and the two of them grow cabbages that they sell at the market, but when a dapper stranger named Shemeikka (André Wilms), who drives a slick convertible, shows up needing repairs on his automobile, he convinces Marja to accompany him and experience the world ... except Shemeikka is not an upstanding fellow, and he forces her into a life of prostitution.  Kaurismäki's films aren't exactly what you'd call the most 'loquacious' so him making this a silent movie isn't that much of a stretch (naturally, there's plenty of drinking and smoking), and even though the narrative itself (loosely adapted from a novel by Juhani Aho) is extremely simple, it's still well-directed and acted (although the hokey score leaves a lot to be desired).  It finishes up on a downbeat note, however: Juha seeks revenge and is killed ... and then Marja is left with a baby.  Is the "moral" that women should stay locked in a loveless marriage?  Or is it that they need to be more careful who they run off with?