LIFF: Fallen Leaves Review
“Forget Paris, Helsinki is the new city of love” writes Rosie Nowosielski reviewing Fallen Leaves as part of LIFF 2023.
Fallen Leaves is Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki’s 20th full-length feature film and an addition to his Proletariat series. It is a comedy following Ansa (Alma Pöysti) and Holappa (Jossi Vatanen). The former is a supermarket then metalworks worker. The latter is a depressed alcoholic who is subsequently fired from various jobs, whose first name is never disclosed to his friends or the audience.
Their lives mirror each others: both unhappy, unfulfilled by their jobs, targets of miserable bosses, have empty, lonely homes to return to in the evening, and dragged to the same karaoke with their only friends. Ansa and Holappa keep passing, missing, and upsetting each other in heart-wrenching yet hilarious fashions. Falling asleep at the tram stop. Ansa losing her new job the day after she got it while Holappa loses Ansa’s phone number. Holappa bring caught drinking on their date. Holappa being hit by a train, proving Ansa right that men are less intelligent than swines. These are Ansa’s words, not mine. I promise.
Kaurismäki promised us deadpan, and deadpan is what we received. Seldom did a character smile throughout the 80 minute run time, and every line was delivered with comedic dream-like robotry. Even the most sad and sinister aspects of the plot were treated with satire and produced giggles from the audience. However, the one aspect of the film that fell short was the mechanical performance by Finnish indie duo Maustetytöt halfway through the film. While it matched the satirical deadpan ethos of the film, it brought me out of the gentle trance I was in. Their cameo had no impact on the plot – essentially an advertisement for the duo, leaving a bad taste in my mouth.
While the stone faces of the characters may give the impression that Fallen Leaves isn’t a romance, love was undoubtedly in the Helsinki air. The chemistry between Pöysti and Vatanan was palpable. Through this chemistry and their talent, Pöysti and Vatanan showed how much their characters care for each other, if it was not clear through the minimalist writing and deadpan style. The score and soundtrack added to this. Piano, brass, and string symphonies, and 1950s classics like Arrabal Amargo and Mambo Italiano accompanied the love story. Forget Paris, Helsinki is the new city of love.
Forget Paris, Helsinki is the new city of love
Rosie Nowosielski
This film is no stranger to anachronism. One of the great features of Fallen Leaves was the lack of modernity. Neither Ansa nor Holappa owned a television or a smartphone. The seedy bars hadn’t been redecorated since the 70s. The costume design lies somewhere within the last 50 years, but there is no decade definer (no shell suits or bell bottoms to be seen, fortunately or unfortunately). All of which added to the surreality of the film. However, we were broken out of this timeless state through the updates in the Ukrainian war featured throughout, reminding us of the ongoing violence, bringing the audience back to reality.
Fallen Leaves is the new model for the ‘in and out of each other’s lives genre’ (think Normal People, Before Sunrise, Love, Rosie) and is the perfect rom-com, accomplishing both the romance and comedy perfectly. Fallen Leaves is full of witty quips, eccentric characters and a classic ‘Will they? Won’t they?’ plot. But, like every good romance, Ansa walks and Holappa hops crutches-bound into the sunset together, with adopted dog Chaplin – I couldn’t forget him.
Fallen Leaves was released on 1st December and is screening at HPPH till 14th December. Students are eligible for concession tickets from £7.50.
