Foglie al vento

A film brimming with charm, thanks to its human characters, struggling in their own way to make a living. She's a cashier, moving from job to job. She owns her own apartment. He's a manual laborer who works in a factory, but drinks. And he goes from job to job. They cross paths. They're both alone. They're drawn to each other. Girl meets boy. Boy meets girl. They're both shy. But there will be grains of sand in the mechanics of their relationship. Aki Kaurismäki doses the construction of this couple perfectly.

Aki Kaurismäki sprinkles his film with references (Jean-Luc Godard, George A. Romero, for example). The result is a short film, and all the better for it. There are no unnecessary sequences here. There's no extra-diegetic music. Without going too fast, Aki Kaurismäki builds the love story between the characters. A film to warm the heart.

Fallen Leaves is a rather short movie but very dense in content. The acting, the dialogues, the sets are austere, which can feel unattractive for many people used to the usual bombardment of images. But this minimalistic direction leaves an immense space for emotions.

The characters have precarious lives. They are confronted daily with the pains and the hardships of the working-classes: bad bosses, poverty, unemployment, addiction. On this background of darkness, the movie manages to remain light and even funny. Life feels fragile and yet, the characters also find solidarity, hope, and love. That might be the political and poetic meaning of this movie.

I left the theater full of joy and with a smile on my face.

For anyone who has never watched a Finnish comedy before, you may struggle with this one. The humour is a level more subtle than British comedy, so don't expect big slapstick laughs. The humour in Fallen Leaves lies mostly in the delivery from its characters, very understated and at times in contrast to the situations they find themselves in. Romance can come in many different guises and this film really showcases that. There are no grand sweeping gestures from our protagonists, instead just small moments and offerings; a cinnamon bun, a cup of coffee, a meal thoughtfully cooked. It's also desperately sad at times (I won't divulge why and give any spoilers) but I believe it opens up at the end to true optimism. Very unique little film in today's industry.

No pun intended - Aki Kaurismaki - I reckon I have to start watching more of his stuff. Yes I never really came around or got my hands on any of his movies. Better late than never - which is a great segway to the movie actually (and some might even say a great pun?).

All that said, this may be a movie about someone who is clearly an alcoholic (and therefor quite the man with a lot of issues, reminding me of jokes about alcohol) and a woman who like him has a void ... and both are looking for love. Can coincidence bring them together? Or will it tear them apart? The humor helps a lot, the dialog is really tight and well written. Of course you have to dig it all, but if you do .. you'll be having a grand ol' time.

Great acting - great setting and script! Do not expect fire and passion - but do expect amazing characters! What is love? And can first love be found in a late stage in life?

I'm not here to write a full review but just to share one observation. The Finland in picture is not real, neither it is a Finland of the past, despite of artifacts from the 70s and 40s. It is a Finland of proletariat, an allusion to what was once and could possibly still return. The colors, the fashion, the rhythm, and the certain quality of post production of the film is deliberately made to look like old Soviet cinema (perhaps). I grew up in Soviet Union, so immediately recognize that aesthetics, as well as the reality of the depressed suburbs, omnipresent alchoholism, and the worst kind of proletariat reality, where people are neither given a setting for developing nor being in any way protected. The war in Ukraine is an actor of the film as well. It is present from the opening scene and on - some listen to it, some switch the channel off, but it constantly comes back to interact with the characters. The film might be, among other things, a commentary on the reality that modern-day russia represents. Also interesting that the main male characters are delusional as in wanting to be something they are not on multiple occasions (Holapa's friend wanting to be young or a singer-superstar signing large contracts, or Holappa himself claiming he could easily be a "cool guy" if only he wanted to). It is certainly about us all, and how much delusional hopes are a part of human condition. Yet these become paramount, a desperate means for escape, in a world where people are living in poverty and with little means for self-actualization. Of course there is also this scene when Anse comes to the hospital to read to Holappa and sits down onto a chair painted in blue and yellow, but that might be already a bit of a stretch to think this might symbolize ukraine fighting to get whatever Holappa represents out of darkness and into the world of hope. Overall it's a charming feel-good movie, classically Kaurismaki.