Fallen Leaves (B+ or 3/4 stars)
Set in the cold, industrialized area of Helsinki, Finland, 'Fallen Leaves' (a heartfelt romantic dramedy written & directed by Aki Kaurismaki) tells an 80 minute tale of two lonely 40-something yr. olds, Ansa (Alma Poysti) & Holappa (Jussi Vatanen), going about their humdrum day-to-day lives. After taciturn Ansa loses her low-paying job at a supermarket for taking home expired grocery items, she & her friend (Alina Tomnikov) meet-up for a drink at the local karaoke/dive bar. Quiet, soft-spoken alcoholic Holappa has just lost his job as well and, he & his co-worker buddy, Huotari (Janne Hyytiainen), also end up at said karaoke bar. In one fateful moment, while Huotari goes up on stage to sing ... Ansa & Holappa lock eyes.
Too crushingly shy to pursue one another, it isn't until another chance encounter that meek & mild Holappa works up the guts to invite pretty Ansa for a cup of coffee; and then subsequently a movie. Afterwards, Ansa gives Holappa her cell phone number promising to reveal her name to him when-&-if he calls. To his utter dismay, Holappa immediately loses the piece of paper with her number on it after reaching in his pocket to grab his cigarettes {the paper blows away unbeknownst to him}. After a series of further missteps - and Holappa's drinking problem - their relationship appears to be damned. To console herself, Ansa adopts an adorable stray dog {actually, this film's director's dog} who becomes her solace & companion.
'Fallen Leaves' is not as dire as my description reads; in fact, I'll spoil that despite a plethora of setbacks, this story has a happy ending. Director Kaurismaki also infuses his sparsely-worded script with a good amount of bone dry, deadpan Finnish humor. And both Alma Poysti & Jussi Vatanen are up to the task of conveying their stifled feelings without much conversation {their droll dialogues & plain faces barely reveal emotion; both closed-off in their loneliness}. They provide lovely screen presences, both together & individually; ably conveying the depression of their lives, but also the gradual overcoming of their own fears & flaws. And best of all, deep underneath their miseries, we see & FEEL their hearts that are aching for love.
A running subplot in this film is the crippling war in Ukraine. With Finland being so close in proximity to Russia, citizens realize the peril they face if the Ukrainians were to fall to the Russian army. The news on the radio regarding the war is CONSTANTLY in the background; which further weighs on the daily lives of our lead characters. Even though the news doesn't directly affect their relationship, the news illuminates the fears & hesitancies that live deep within these characters. Director Kaurismaki excels in showing us these down-&-out people experiencing such troubles. It is a film about lonely people with much baggage who meet late in life ... and defy their star-crossed situation in finding the courage to fall in love and share a future together.
'Fallen Leaves' is the kind of slight, yet captivating film that may frustrate and/or confuse those viewers who look for more plot incident {it is the kind of movie that ends and you think: oh, that's ... it?}. But while some may find it boring, others - like me - will adore what Kaurismaki is doing, here. This film delivers quite a bit in such a short amount of time and, I couldn't get it out of my head for the rest of my day after having seen it. Fallen Leaves' quaint, warm slice-of-life romance is a lovely cinematic breath of fresh air and, its cumulative impact feels significantly greater than the sum of its parts.
Too crushingly shy to pursue one another, it isn't until another chance encounter that meek & mild Holappa works up the guts to invite pretty Ansa for a cup of coffee; and then subsequently a movie. Afterwards, Ansa gives Holappa her cell phone number promising to reveal her name to him when-&-if he calls. To his utter dismay, Holappa immediately loses the piece of paper with her number on it after reaching in his pocket to grab his cigarettes {the paper blows away unbeknownst to him}. After a series of further missteps - and Holappa's drinking problem - their relationship appears to be damned. To console herself, Ansa adopts an adorable stray dog {actually, this film's director's dog} who becomes her solace & companion.
'Fallen Leaves' is not as dire as my description reads; in fact, I'll spoil that despite a plethora of setbacks, this story has a happy ending. Director Kaurismaki also infuses his sparsely-worded script with a good amount of bone dry, deadpan Finnish humor. And both Alma Poysti & Jussi Vatanen are up to the task of conveying their stifled feelings without much conversation {their droll dialogues & plain faces barely reveal emotion; both closed-off in their loneliness}. They provide lovely screen presences, both together & individually; ably conveying the depression of their lives, but also the gradual overcoming of their own fears & flaws. And best of all, deep underneath their miseries, we see & FEEL their hearts that are aching for love.
A running subplot in this film is the crippling war in Ukraine. With Finland being so close in proximity to Russia, citizens realize the peril they face if the Ukrainians were to fall to the Russian army. The news on the radio regarding the war is CONSTANTLY in the background; which further weighs on the daily lives of our lead characters. Even though the news doesn't directly affect their relationship, the news illuminates the fears & hesitancies that live deep within these characters. Director Kaurismaki excels in showing us these down-&-out people experiencing such troubles. It is a film about lonely people with much baggage who meet late in life ... and defy their star-crossed situation in finding the courage to fall in love and share a future together.
'Fallen Leaves' is the kind of slight, yet captivating film that may frustrate and/or confuse those viewers who look for more plot incident {it is the kind of movie that ends and you think: oh, that's ... it?}. But while some may find it boring, others - like me - will adore what Kaurismaki is doing, here. This film delivers quite a bit in such a short amount of time and, I couldn't get it out of my head for the rest of my day after having seen it. Fallen Leaves' quaint, warm slice-of-life romance is a lovely cinematic breath of fresh air and, its cumulative impact feels significantly greater than the sum of its parts.