Finland | Einari Paakkanen | 2022 | 75 min

Evi has heart. As Finland’s most experienced and well-travelled karaoke hostess, she has dedicated herself to easing her customers’ various emotional pains. Time and again she packs up her karaoke gear and hits the road to towns sprinkled across the vast northern landscapes of Finland. In Einari Paakkanen’s intimate, insightful documentary, Evi’s personal journey is chronicled as it connects with the lives of ordinary Finns who pick up the microphone and sing their hearts out: Toni, the shyest guy in the world, utterly transforms when onstage; Kari searches for love and sings about it; Elina can hardly walk because of Parkinson’s but screams out punk songs; and Laura sings because talking is too painful. A charming portrait about the strange magical power of karaoke, Karaoke Paradise reveals that, thanks to Evi’s remarkable passion, some lucky Finns have found an inspired way out of their loneliness.

“In juxtaposing [these] stories, this somewhat unassuming, intimate documentary turns into a quiet take on life’s big questions." Manuel Betancourt, Variety