This romantic comedy with 98% on Rotten Tomatoes offered us a refreshingly unique love story

“Opposites attract” is a saying that is often thrown at romantics. But what If true romance is actually between equals, despite their circumstances? Fallen leavesa 2023 Finnish romantic comedy with a 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it is the quirky love between two soulmates – both down on their luck and a little battered – that wins out. Like broken pieces that fit together, the protagonists in this flick from the Finnish master of melancholy are Aki Kaurismäki (who came out of retirement to make the film) find solace in their shared struggles. Fallen leaves is not a dazzling romantic comedy about grand gestures, but one that is laden with dark themes such as alcoholism, unemployment and devastation, whose unlikely romance is nevertheless surprisingly uplifting. To achieve this feel-good effect, Fallen leaves uses humor to provide reliefwith clever writing that maximizes minimal dialogue and the absurd situations created by the bizarre characters. The only ordinary thing about this romance is the strange characters who embody ordinary people.

Fallen leaves

In modern-day Helsinki, two lonely souls looking for love meet by chance in a karaoke bar. However, their road to happiness is full of obstacles – from lost phone numbers and wrong addresses to alcoholism and a charming stray dog.

Release date

17 November 2023

Duration

81 minutes

director

Aki Kaurismäki

Main genre

comedy

Pour

Alma Pöysti, Jussi Vatanen

Authors

Aki Kaurismäki

Studio

MUBI

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What is “Fallen Leaves” about?

Ansa (Alma Poysti) and Holappa (Jussi Vatanen) are two extremely lonely people in the modern-day Finnish capital of Helsinki. However, the overall look and feel of the film, including the lack of technological aids such as cell phones and its sparse setting, could just as easily place it in the post-war 50s or so. Ansa lives alone in the small apartment she inherited from her godmother, which causes Holappa to tease her as the “heiress.” perhaps the luckiest thing that has happened to her in her life. She works at a supermarket on a bad contract, packing and arranging products for sale. She gets on the radar of supermarket security after she was seen handing out leftover food, presumably from the supermarket, to poor and homeless people. As she gets off work, she is stopped by her boss, who inspects her bag and fires her after finding an expired sandwich that she takes home for dinner. Her already difficult world gets even worse as she now has to look for another job.

Ansa’s soul mate (she doesn’t know this yet) is Holappa, who is also underpaid as a beam technician. Despite being an expert in his job, he hates him and believes that he might kill him one day. He drinks during work and any other time he finds because he is depressed. Ansa and Holappa meet by chance at a local karaoke event where, despite not speaking to each other, they instantly hit it off. They meet again and this time Ansa’s problems have doubled as her new boss has been arrested for drug trafficking and she is unemployed again. Holappa buys her coffee and they later see The dead do not diewhich they both enjoy. After a successful date, Ansa gives Holappa her phone number on a piece of paper, but Holappa accidentally loses it when he pulls a cigarette packet out of his pockets. Without knowing each other’s names and without any other way to track each other down, the two sink into their longing. But fate hears their plight and they find each other again. Fallen leaves goes beyond its strangely sweet romance and contrasts the dark themes with a dry humor that turns the film into a likable tragicomedy.

“Fallen Leaves” offers a love story of a different kind

In most cases, romantic comedies present a series of bizarre, random events that lead to a happy ending, but not Fallen leaves. Ansa and Holappa’s romance is a journey through adversity and emotional resilience. Their love is built on shared tragic circumstances and a comfortable sense of serenity in each other’s presence despite everything. This bond is strengthened by their honesty and openness about it. Although this leads to disagreements over time, it ultimately keeps their relationship going. From the beginning, Ansa is open about her downtrodden financial situation, and Holappa is also tight-lipped about his. He offers to buy her a coffee and take her to the movies on their first date, and they both understand the sacrifice he made for it. He lives with his friend Huotari (Janne Hyytiäinen) in a dingy shared room, he is fascinated by Ansa’s small apartment, although he does not hide his dislike for her narrow bed. Their bond is based on mutual compassion and understanding of each other’s needs.

Fallen leaves does not rely on external conflicts or misunderstandings to drive the plot; the obstacles in Ansa and Holappa’s relationship are rather of a deeply internal nature. Both are unfamiliar with their new situation. Holappa thinks he’s a tough guy and tells Huotari that guys like him don’t go to karaoke events. He doesn’t think he’s prone to falling in love, but when he finds his match in Ansa, he does. At first he’s hesitant to embrace this new side of himself and even leaves Ansa, but eventually he does. His alcoholism takes its toll as he struggles to keep his job. Ansa, on the other hand, is haunted by a dark past that has consumed her loved ones and fears that it might also catch up with her new crush, Holappa. They must overcome these inner conflicts to fully commit to each other. Fallen leaves differs from typical romantic comedies, which often use external misunderstandings such as infidelity and family influences to drive the plot.

“Fallen Leaves” combines a unique artistic vision with humor to create a masterful tragicomedy

The script, also written by Kaurismäki, masterfully combines humor and heart. The dialogue is minimal, sharp and witty, and focuses on providing insight into the characters’ lives. For example, when Ansa visits Holappa in hospital, she claims to be his sister in order to gain entry. When asked his name, she improvises: “I am his sister in faith.” Sitting next to him in the ward, she invents a fictitious soccer story, telling him that her Finnish soccer team has qualified for the World Cup finals and that all the betting shops’ bets favor Finland against giants Brazil. But Kaurismäki doesn’t always use dialogue to create humor. Some of it comes from the characters’ idiosyncrasies and the situations they find themselves in, particularly their faux pas, such as Holappa downing all his wine at once at the dinner table and eventually secretly reaching for his flask of liquor. Fallen leaves offers humor that is both situation- and character-based.

Aki Kaurismäki’s distinctive direction underlines the film’s narrative depth. He uses muted colors and strong lighting to emphasize the calm of the film while reflecting the emotional states of the characters. The film’s minimalist visual style also fits its dark themes, as if parodying the minimalist lives of the characters. Complementing this unique visual style, Fallen leaves uses music to give voice to its themes, using lyrics from some of the tracks to tell the story. As Holappa sips his bottle alone in a bar, the music’s lyrics roar, “I was born in sorrow, clothed in disillusionment,” to show the depth of his depression.

The protagonists in “Fallen Leaves” shed light on the dark themes

Alma Poetry Ansa and Jussi Vatanens Holappa brings a unique brightness to Fallen leaves’ otherwise dark themes. Their romance is marked by resilience and underlying hope in the face of personal struggles. In their seemingly bleak circumstances, their unlikely romance offers a glimmer of optimism. Despite their desperate situation, Ansa adopts a defenseless stray dog. Her kindness, warmth and determination, as well as Holappa’s transformation from a “lone wolf” to a man ready for partnership, not only offer the potential for personal redemption, but also stand in sharp contrast to their bleak lives. Their human connection balances out the film’s darker elements.

Their chemistry and shared experiences give the film an emotional depth. Even when they’re not together, they both detest the sounds of war that are broadcast on the radio about the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. On screen, their interactions are full of subtleties and genuine emotion. Their honesty in this regard is a bright spot. Their connection speaks of the power of ordinary love to overcome adversity.

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“Keep it in the family.”

Fallen leaves is a film that had to be madecement Aki Kaurismäki’s legacy of mixing humor and heartbreak in a way that resonates with audiences. Kaurismäki’s films are known for hard-won human connections and Fallen leaves is no exception. It is a worthy addition to his earlier works such as The man without a past And Le Havre. For his unique view of cinema, Fallen leaves was the big winner at the Cannes Film Festival and took home the coveted Jury Prize. For those looking for a romantic comedy that goes beyond conventional storytelling, Fallen leaves offers a refreshing and moving narrative, arguing that even in the bleakest of times, love and hope can flourish.

Fallen leaves is available to stream on Mubi in the US

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