I finally managed to see “Fallen Leaves“. It’s a Finish film from acclaimed director Aki Kaurismäki, who’s made 20 films that I’ve not seen. Although I’ve heard of Leningrad Cowboys Go America (1989) and his film Le Havre (2011), I seemed to have missed my opportunities to see them. He’s an auteur with a pronounced filmmaking style, favoring single takes and static cameras that aren’t digital. He writes, directs and often edits or produces his small-budget films. Many of his films are set in Helsinki and revolve around working class people dealing with tough economic times.
“Fallen Leaves” and “The Falling Star” were in the 2023 Telluride Film Festival program. I chose to see “The Falling Star” (“L’Étoile Filante”) by the delightful Belgian-based filmmaking duo, Dominique Abel and Fiona Gordon. I loved their film “Lost in Paris” (2017) and enjoyed hearing them speak about their story-building process and how their clown training informed their work. Their earlier film received a warm reception during its film festival rounds and critics gave it favorable reviews. “The Falling Star” was less of a critical success.
Why bring up a French Belgian film when discussing a Finnish film? Beyond the similar title, and the couples that form the central premise, both films spend a lot of time in the local bar and feature a small group of actors playing multiple parts. Where “The Falling Leaves” is a romantic comedy about a shy couple trying to connect and failing in both trivial and fantastic ways, “The Falling Star” is an over-wrought film noir comedy.
Kaurismäki’s film was also featured at the Philadelphia Film Festival in 2023. And again, I managed to miss it. There was something about the film description that made me think it might be depressing: “a touching love story about two lost souls, Aki Kaurismäki’s rumored swan song perfectly encapsulates the Finnish master’s deadpan wit, visual ingenuity, and quiet humanism”. “Fallen Leaves”(Finnish: Kuolleet lehdet, lit. ’Dead Leaves’) was in the Masters of Cinema category.
To my surprise, when the Golden Globes nominations were announced, there was the star of “The Fallen Leaves”, Alma Pöysti. She’s nominated in the Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy category. So off I hustled to Philly to see the film, finally. There was a big sandwich board at the PFS Bourse with a screenshot from the film and a headline from a critic calling it “the best film of the year”.
I wouldn’t go that far. “Fallen Leaves” is a droll comedy filmed in what seem to be Kaurismäki’s trademark style. Set in Helsinki and starring working class citizens, the film stars Pöysti as Ansa, a grocery store worker who lives a simple life. She’s unjustly fired and finds solace with the solidarity of her friends. She meets a man she’s intrigued by, and Holappa and Ansa make a tentative connection.
Meanwhile, Jussi Vatanen as Holappa, goes about his job at a factory. He’s fired soon after the fleeting encounter with Ansa. The film spends time showing their simple lives and the few people they spend time with or encounter, many of them played by the same actors. The city of Helsinki seems to exist in a timeless era, a depressing series of factory jobs and listless patrons at bars. There’s an amusing scene in a movie theater where the couple are watching Jim Jarmusch’s “The Dead Don’t Die” starring Adam Driver and Bill Murray.
As the relationship progresses, both characters have narrative arcs that are revealed by the costumes. Holappa is becoming a hapless drunk and his clothes become worn and tattered. Ansa adopts a dog and begins to dress in brighter colors and wears her hair loose with more makeup. She has rejected Holappa because of his drinking but still pines for him. There’s a few amusing exchanges due to the fact that neither of them know each other’s names.
While I enjoyed both films, the Finnish “Fallen Leaves” and the Belgian “Falling Star”, they seem like fairy tales. Why would a shy woman fall in love with a man after seeing him passed out at a bus stop in “Fallen Leaves”? And why would she steadfastly visit him while he’s in a coma? Ansa seems to build a dream life with Holappa when she’s spent two evenings with him and knows nothing about him. “Falling Star” is full of outrageous physical comedy and the artistry of the cast is brilliant, but the story is so silly that it’s hard to feel anything for the characters.
I’m glad I got to experience both films and it made me want to watch more of Aki Kaurismäki’s work and hope that he continues to make films. It also made me want to rewatch “Lost in Paris” and hope that the comedic duo of Abel & Gordon find funding to make a new film.
Drinks with Films ratings
“Fallen Leaves” — 2 teeny tiny aperitif glasses of pink champagne (out of 5)
“The Falling Star” — 1 beer poured by a bartender trying to not get shot (out of 5)
Drinks with films 