When you think of Helsinki, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? For me (and probably for you as well) it is the movie Night On Earth by Jim Jarmusch. It is a great piece and tells the stories of five taxi drivers in five different cities around the world: Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Rome and – guess what – Helsinki.

The episode in the finnish capital is funny although it is by far the darkest of the five stories: three guys get a lift by a silent taxi driver. One of them is totally drunk, sleeps and his friends bring him home. During the ride, they tell the driver about his „sad story“ (got fired, his girl ran away etc. pp.) The taxi driver is not impressed and tells his personal story which is so dramatic that the passengers find the the fate of his friend no longer that moving and leave the taxi without taking care of him anymore.

Well, that doesn‘t sound funny but the perfect storytelling abilities of Jim Jarmusch make it a worthwile episode which blends in perfectly with the other (also great) international taxi rides making it one the best movies I have ever seen.

Calling a taksi in Helsinki is not without a thrill now. So far, the drivers were very responsive, helpful and even funny. I am looking forward to even more taxi rides in the remaining two days of my stay.