There is constant news of the war in Ukraine on the radio. Ansa gets fired from her job at the supermarket for taking an expired sandwich she was supposed to throw away. Holappa is not sure whether he is drinking because he is depressed or he is depressed because he is drinking. Their world, and ours, is a grim one.
If you’ve lost your belief in humanity, Aki Kaurismäki’s FALLEN LEAVES might restore your hopes. Funny, melancholy, and romantic, the film does not waste any of its concise running time. Kaurismaki is in familiar territory here and we would not want it any other way. Any film that includes a kiss in front of a Brief Encounter poster is bound to move me.
Alma Pöysti, who was also remarkable as the title character in Zaida Bergroth’s Tove, and Jussi Vatanen fit perfectly into the Kaurismaki universe as two deadpan characters longing for a connection. Cinematographer Timo Salminen, who has been with Kaurismaki from the beginning, can make the most mundane settings look colorful and pleasing.
There are many beautiful shots of characters in front of Finnish posters of classic films. There is also a scene of two moviegoers briefly discussing Jim Jarmusch’s The Dead Don’t Die, which will make film buffs laugh pretty hard.
Fallen Leaves screened at Mill Valley Film Festival and is currently making the festival rounds. MUBI is releasing it in theaters in the US.
