Fallen Leaves

Directed by: Aki Kaurismäki
Distributed by: Mubi

Written by Alexander Reams

86/100

The deliciously deadpan narrative that Finnish filmmaker Aki Kaurismäki has crafted for his fourth entry into his Proletariat series follows Ansa (Alma Pöysti) and Holappa (Jussi Vatanen). Ansa works on sketchy contracts with little promise of pay or fair treatment. Her only respite is when she is in her apartment, but her peace is interrupted by radio broadcast updates on the war in Ukraine. Kaurismäki’s choice to use the conflict there as a backdrop for a relationship that could be as doomed as the war is just the undercurrent of awareness that he infuses into the setting and dialogue of the film. Holappa is no catch himself, he’s a consistent drinker, who loses his job, his life is full of misery and woes. Even when he meets Ansa, he rarely looks present or happy. What does bring out a reaction from him is his enjoyment of the cinema. 

The pair’s first date provides a first-date movie choice unlike any other; Jim Jarmusch’s masterwork “The Dead Don’t Die.” Another wonderfully deadpan picture that still holds up despite a decent amount of critical revilement. Ansa and Holappa’s relationship goes through traditional ups and downs, Ansa loses her job and is forced to work in bad conditions at a bar, Holappa gets seriously injured because of his reckless drunkenness, and the pair get their “walk off into the sunset” moment. Kaurismäki paces the film with such skill over the brisk 80-minute runtime, which makes the film feel like a fleetful memory that each character seems to live in. The memories of life before these dead-end jobs and hopelessness plague Ansa and Holappa, which is why a film from just four years ago provides a window into an entirely different place in time. “Fallen Leaves” is one of the sweetest and bleakest films in recent memory.

“Fallen Leaves” Trailer

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