I wasn't planning on reviewing another Aki Kaurismäki movie here, mainly because I try to keep things varied when reviewing older world cinema titles, but it turned out that The Man Without A Past just seemed like a good choice. I wanted some of that deadpan brilliance that Kaurismäki can deliver, although I didn't check any of the plot details ahead of time. I'm glad I picked this, because it made for a surprisingly timely, and surprisingly delightful, treat.
Markku Peltola plays the titular character, a man we see being beaten up and left for dead in the opening scenes. When he comes around, he is unable to remember anything. He has no ID on him, no money, and not even the smallest clue to his name. Helped by the goodwill of some other individuals, this man eventually starts to piece together a whole new life. He also falls for Irma (Kati Outinen), a Salvation Army worker who also spends some time helping him to get back on his feet. Is a completely new start possible, or will the past eventually crash into the present?
Considering the blunt nature of the opening, I was very pleasantly surprised by how sweet this was. Kaurismäki could have gone in any number of different directions, but he shows how a life can be completely changed by the accumulation of small kindnesses from strangers. While the immediate effect may not always be so obvious, this is why people should not stop caring for one another, ever. Everyone needs some help at some time in their life, even if it's not to this degree, and whether that is a bit of food, money, clothing, or just trust, it can make a huge impact.
Don't worry though, Kaurismäki doesn't forget to include a lot of his usual humour. A number of conversations are enjoyably ridiculous, and the second half of the film features at least one sequence that is almost Kafka-esque in the way our main character is questioned and doubted while he tries to explain his state of near-complete amnesia. Anyone familiar with other films from this man won't be disappointed.
Peltola is perfectly fine in the lead role, although he spends a lot of the runtime moving like a leaf blown around by a breeze. His performance is in line with many others throughout Kaurismäki's filmography, wonderfully deadpan and slow, no matter what other forces start to whirl around him. Outinen is just as good, and their connection is believable, rooted more in curiosity and consideration than any grand yearning or romantic gestures. Others provide great support, including Juhani Niemelä, Kaija Pakarinen, and Sakari Kuosmanen, but they are very much in orbit around the central figure/couple.
A lesson in benevolence wrapped in the trappings of absurdist humour and occasional off-kilter surrealism, this is another fine film from a director who may not have any duds in his entire filmography (although maybe that's just down to me having seen his best films first).
8/10
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