FALLEN LEAVES reviewed by GREG KING
Director: Aki Kaurismaki
Stars: Alma Poysti, Jussi Vatanen, Janne Hyytiainen, Juho Kuosmanen, Sherwan Haji, Matti Onnismaa, Martii Suosala.
The latest film from Finnish auteur Aki Kaurismaki is Fallen Leaves, a deceptively simple and quirky romcom about two star crossed lovers in Helsinki. Two lonely down on their luck working class people meet at a karaoke bar but find the path to making a connection and maybe finding happiness is not easy or smooth sailing.
Holappa (Jussi Vatanen) is an unhappy alcoholic who keeps being fired from industrial jobs because of his drinking habit and attitude. The shy and quietly spoken Ansa (Alma Poysti) works as a checkout clerk in a supermarket but is fired after being caught taking home items off the shelf, even though they are past their use by date. The pair exchange awkward glances at a karaoke bar and agree to meet for a date at a local repertory movie theatre.
But when she gives him her number, he accidentally drops the piece of paper on which it was written and it is blown away by the wind. He doesn’t know her name which complicates matters. Their efforts to reconnect lead to misunderstandings and missed opportunities. Their slow path to romance plays out against the backdrop of a depressingly grey and bleak Helsinki.
With Fallen Leaves Kaurismaki establishes a melancholy, sad and bittersweet tone, but this is about as light and upbeat as Kaurismaki gets. The film contains plenty of pop cultural and filmic references – including a discussion of Jim Jarmusch’s zombie comedy The Dead Don’t Die and a film poster for the 1945 movie Brief Encounter, which hints at some of the themes of Kaurismaki’s film – and even some modern music on the soundtrack. Some plot elements recall other screen romances such as An Affair To Remember and Serendipity. And in the background are ongoing radio news bulletins concerning the war in Ukraine. There are some clever meta touches here too as Jarmusch appeared in Kaurismaki’s 1989 film Leningrad Cowboys Go America.
But the film is still shaped by Kaurismaki’s signature style and idiosyncratic touches, his typically dry and droll dialogue delivered in deadpan fashion by a cast attuned to the director’s modus. This is largely a two-hander, with some peripheral characters, including Janne Hyytiainen, who plays Hoppola’s best friend and drinking buddy Hannes. There are cameos from a number of actors who have appeared in Kaurismaki’s previous films that serve as a subtle and playful nod to his body of work.
The dialogue is also spaced with lots of awkward silences and glances that communicate much about the characters. The two leads are largely monosyllabic as well, but they convey much through their gestures and awkward glances. Poysti is a standout as the lonely, vulnerable but warm and caring Ansa.
Ville Gronroos’s production design is minimalist, and the settings are largely simple and drab in style, particularly Ansa’s small apartment. There is a minimum of action or movement here as the characters are either standing or sitting for the most part. Regular cinematographer Timo Salminen shoots in long static takes that deliberately frame the characters against the backdrops. But despite the drabness of their world the film is also tinged with a sense of warmth for its two main characters and suffused with a touch of optimism. There is even a cute stray dog that is adopted by Ansa.
Fans of the director’s idiosyncratic style will lap up Fallen Leaves, which forms the fourth part of his so-called Proletariat trilogy, which includes Shadows In Paradise, Ariel, and The Match Factory Girl. This is Kaurismaki’s first new film in seven years, but it is immediately accessible and surprisingly upbeat. The droll Fallen Leaves should even appeal to those unfamiliar with Kaurismaki and his body of work.
★★★☆
