‘Karaoke Paradise’ Review: This Melancholy Finnish Documentary Will Have You Reaching for a Mic
variety.comManuel Betancourt There is something nakedly revealing about singing karaoke. The activity invites singers of all stripes to tap into their inner divas even, or especially, if you really can’t hit those notes or truly master that tricky wording.
Given this, karaoke often lends itself to being a liberating and rather joyful pastime, the kind of drunken escapade from one’s life that allows you to let loose.
Not so (or not only so) in Einari Paakkanen’s tender ode to the practice, “Karaoke Paradise.” This Finnish documentary chronicles instead the underlying melancholy that may also be excavated in those moments when it’s just you and a song you wish to make your own.Paakkanen opens “Karaoke Paradise” with the kind of mundane image that will make up the bulk of his film.
A barn in the distance at dawn fades as the camera swivels to find an unassuming building surrounded by a welcome, verdant landscape.
Read more on variety.com