My second Kaurismäki film in a fortnight, and one that many had near the top of their lists of favourite movies of 2023, Fallen Leaves is another strange alchemy that has the writer-director mixing together the bleak and the bad into something that becomes sweet and affecting. Containing less black humour than some of his other works, this still manages to navigate some treacherous territory without making viewers feel too nervous. Because, wherever he ends up taking us, Kaurismäki is a considerate and careful "ship's captain".
Alma Pöstyi plays Ansa, a lonely woman who also ends up struggling to stay in full-time employment. In the same situation, but for quite different reasons, is Holappa (Jussi Vatanen). Meeting by chance, Ansa and Holappa seem to find a connection, and perhaps see a chance to grab some fleeting happiness with one another, but fate has other plans. Viewers aren't given detailed backgrounds on each of the main characters, but there are little (and some not so little) details to notice and extrapolate from.
As low-key and gentle as so many other Kaurismäki movies, Fallen Leaves is the kind of film you might get if Ken Loach was tasked with delivering a romance that showed some silver linings in the many clouds gathering overhead. It’s grounded in a daily drudgery that could easily subsume someone, a struggle that many will be able to at least partly identify with, and news reports detailing the war in Ukraine serve as a reminder to enjoy the small breadcrumbs of happiness that are sometimes laid down for us. The radio is delivering bad news, but it's also a voice available to people who may not hear from anyone else throughout their day.
Pöstyi and Vatanen are both fantastic in the lead roles, the two of them showing their characters dealing with their pain and loneliness in very different ways. Although others appear for very brief moments of screentime, this is essentially a two-hander for most of the runtime, making it vital that the leads are up to the task of carrying the film. They certainly are.
Whether or not you are familiar with Kaurismäki may help you to decide whether or not to bump this one to the top of your viewing schedule. I would recommend it though, as long as people approach it with some idea of what style and commentary the director likes to serve up. He puts scar tissue under a microscope and magnifies it until it looks like a moving and surreal work of art. The more I think about this since seeing it, the more I appreciate how delicate and perfectly-crafted it is.
9/10
If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do
consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A
subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
Or Amazon is nice at this time of year - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/Y1ZUCB13HLJD?ref_=wl_share
No comments:
Post a Comment