Fallen Leaves

Written and directed by Aki Kaurismäki, Fallen Leaves gives us two lonely souls (Alma Pöysti and Jussi Vatanen) wandering  in and out of each others lives, and various jobs they each work to get by in modern day Helsinki. By a series of circumstances, some of which they control, others of which they cannot, and many of which border on comical, they are kept apart for most of the film.

Set in Finland, with radio news constantly reporting of Russia's invasion of the Ukraine, and much of the film focused on the drudgery of everyday life undercut by a dry humor that never overwhelms the sad but hopeful drama of our pair of would-be lovers, Fallen Leaves is an unconventional romance. However, there's never a doubt that if Ansa and Holappa can just get their shit together there's enough between them to build a life. At only 81 minutes, there's enough time for us to judge whether or not the pair will work, but not enough to see them either succeed or fail, allowing the film to end with the same wistful hopefulness found in many of its earlier scenes.

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• Title: Kuolleet lehdet (Fallen Leaves)
• IMDb: link