In Paris, three penniless artists, all kindred spirits, share their views of the world and their love stories over a bottle of wine. Marcel is an unsuccessful writer with a penchant for monumental drama, Rodolfo, an Albanian painter with no visa, and Schaunard, an avant-garde composer of noise.

Loosely based on Henri Murger’s renowned novel, Aki Kaurismäki’s first French-language feature infuses a deadpan Finnish humor into the romanticism of Paris, evocatively shot in black and white. Hung over frugal bistro lunches and cheap red wine are contemplations on the foibles of artists’ lives.