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CommentsXp Best movie ever!

Juana what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

tao902 Markku arrives in Helsinki and is badly attacked. After his physical wounds have sufficiently healed he leaves hospital. However, he has lost his memory and as such finds it difficult to lead a normal life, finding it impossible to secure employment or a place to live. He encounters a number of characters, some helpful, others not so. The film ends positively with Markku becoming partners with Irma who he has met at the Salvation Army hostel and justice being meted out to the thugs who originally attacked him.A slow movie which gives us time to focus on the nuances and detail in the characters and situations. An appealing combination of black comedy and dry humour.

Sarah Kemp Man Without a Past (Mies vailla menneisyyttä), directed by Aki Kaurismaki, is an inspiring tale of rediscovery and moving forward following amnesia, all wrapped up in a deadpan parody of classic crime fiction. When a man known as M (Markku Peltola) is attacked and left to die, he awakens with no memory of his previous self and has to forge a new life among a large community of homeless people. While this sounds like the plot of a typical drama involving the eventual triumph over hardship, visual gags and sonic incongruities make it clear that the film is actually a satire. This isn't to say that the film doesn't have feeling—it's just hidden by a lack of obvious emotion. I can see how other reviewers have taken issue to the film. All of the performances are totally deadpan, with an absolute lack of emotion. The dialog is fairly minimal, creating many awkward pauses and meals eaten in total silence. However, this only adds to the comedic aspect of the story overall. The visual gags are obvious from the outset. When M is in the hospital after his beating, his face is so bandaged that he wouldn't even be able to breathe. The visual gags continue throughout; many times, characters are found staring off into the distance after saying something profound or generally emotional (all done, of course, without any change in vocal inflection or facial expression). A woman leaps into her lover's arms, to be held for about a microsecond, and a "rock band" forms composed of men wearing their Salvation Army jackets and button downs. The visual gags are emphasized by the music. A dramatic swelling of notes is accompanied by generally blank stares. The background songs are also frequently incongruous, such as choosing upbeat dance music to accompany a transition into nighttime. As a comedy, Man Without a Past is free to play with the archetypes of classic crime dramas. There's the usual tough police officer with a tendency for softness. In this case it manifests as philosophical musings, but his observations have absolutely no connection to the situation at hand. There's the damsel (portrayed stoically by Kati Outinen), who is the object of our hero's affection. She is heartbroken when he has to leave to do his duty, calling him her "first love." Except in this case, she's not a fresh-faced young woman but a tired, forty-something volunteer at the Salvation Army. Additionally, the bank robber is incredibly apologetic and checks in to make sure he hasn't traumatized his victims too much. The use of archetypes and predictable actions could be boring, but the subtle twists that change the original type really adds to the humor of the film.Nestled among the satire and parodies are a few touching anecdotes about how nice people really can be. In the homeless community in which M takes refuge, people share food and skills, helping each other build a life from very little. M shows up with no name and no past, but a family takes him in, helping him recover and feeding him, despite having nothing themselves. Similarly Irma, the Salvation Army worker, gives M clothing for free, saying that he can pay it back once he is on his feet. She also accepts a date with him, despite knowing nothing about his previous life. It's easy for the casual viewer to dislike this film. It feels like the actors are reading from a teleprompter rather than acting, and the delivery of dialog is stilted and awkward. Many of the characters are just downright strange (and strange-looking) as well. It's a film that would probably never be made in Hollywood, due to its seeming non-appeal to American audiences. Its differences though are what lend it charm and creativity. Rather than taking the same tired plot of a flawed person undertaking a journey to rediscovery, Man Without a Past offers a new view on the situation. It mixes genres and various classic pillars of film, creating an interesting, multi layered story. Depending on the mood of the viewer, it can be touching, triumphant, or hilarious. I definitely recommend this film for anyone willing to try something just slightly different and off the wall.

paldi It is not typically easy for an American to make a comment on anything Finnish, and for this comment to possess any kind of depth or insight— the last time I can remember Finland coming up in anything remotely related to the American occident being accidentally nuked in an episode of the Simpsons. In many of the scenes of A Man Without a Past, it looks like Finland has been nuked, too. Or, at the very least, Helsignors, where the bulk of the movie takes place, looks to have taken a nasty beating. The movie follows the mysterious main character—only later named—through his adventures in Helsignors, which he arrives at by train at the very beginning of the movie. At the onset of his adventure, though, he suffers assault from three rascals who take all of his money and a deal of his possessions. They also take his memories, as he suffers memory loss. When the main character wakes up, he is washed up near a seaport, staring at two little boys whose family ends up taking him in for a while.Amnesia and memory loss are not in any way novel plot devices. In fact, they may be some of the most clichéd. What makes them fresh and interesting in A Man Without a Past is Aki Kaurismäki's method of storytelling. The audience experiences the main character's trials just as he does, as his life begins to unfold in Helsignors. The town feels as strange to him as it does the audience, creating a wonderfully convincing atmosphere, and adding to the general feeling of desultory drifting that pervades a good deal of the film. The main character is on a journey, but no-one, neither the character nor the audience, know where to. Another factor adding to the strange atmosphere is one of director Aki Kaurismäki's hallmark techniques: dialogue which is sparse, hypercorrect, and jarringly stilted. It is not that the acting is bad, or the delivery of the lines off. It is just the dialogue which is strange. Characters—even those whom are oddballs and would not necessarily speak like normal people—do not talk or interact in ways remotely organic. Often scenes are filled with awkward staring or looking away, the kind of gestures one would expect to see in soap operas, drama, plays, operas, or bad sitcoms—just not in a serious cinematic production. Though awkwardly reminiscent of 70s and 80s televisions programmes, the dialogue is also sometimes awkwardly charming. The interactions between the main character and his love interest are so infantile, banal, and earnest, it is easy to see why they could get together. The stiltedness of the dialogue is indicative of the overall style of the movie: it is minimalistic. It is not, however, focused or artistic in a sullen, European way. It is plainly simple. The plot is not meandering or plodding, but it develops at a measure pace. The movie is not long, clocking in at less than 90 minutes, so boredom and dragging are not likely to be any problem. The pacing of the plot is most appropriately described as life-like. Again, the movie is about the main character's (new) life eventually unfolding. He meets people, develops relationships, looks for a job, gets turned down at a government office, entertains dreams of becoming a rock'n'roll manager—a real life is made up of many little things, daily activities, and dreams. The main character himself is a minimalist and a realist, and it is his attitude (and his actor's portrayal) is one of the highlights of the movie. Again and again bad things happen to him. Despite whatever does befall him though, he remains constantly in relatively the same mood. Taking things in stride, he deals with the characters peopling his new life with a generally good nature, just as likely to banter with a drunk as he is with the pathetically corrupt policeman emptily threatens him. His interactions with these people leave one feeling light, happy, and amused, as well as frustrated when he lets himself be walked over without any truly heartfelt objection.Another highlight of this movie is the characters director Kaurismäki has come up with. Interesting, kitschy characters are practically a staple in his films, but the abundance of oddballs does not take detract from the delightfulness of a single one. In particular the formerly mentioned cop stood out. Typical of the corrupt cop archetype, he is "business minded", obviously operating against the law, taking bribes, and on and on. But he also has a ridiculously adorable dog named Hannibal, whom he feeds only raw meat and tries to threaten people with. He is so covered in keys, key rings, and pairs of handcuffs, that when he walks he sounds like a child shaking a piggy-bank full of pennies and nickels. But he is not a bad man, and he seems to get along just fine with the main character, even though he constantly is swindling the main character. There is also in this movie a kind of obtuse criticism of the welfare state, society, Salvation Army, and the whole lot, though it is not so biting that it either a) takes itself too seriously, or b) detracts from the overall movie. Rather, the system to help the downtrodden is portrayed in a way such that it is just another part of an absurd life. It is not an answer to the main character's problems, nor particularly helpful to anyone who does not have a name. The Salvation Army, as secular as it behaves despite the myriad of Jesus paintings hanging around, is infinitely more helpful than the Finnish state. As for the system overall, though, Irma sums it up eloquently when she tells the main character, "God's mercy reigns in heaven, but here on earth one must help himself."

Josh Malay "The Man without a Past" is a movie without a future. This trilogy film which depicts the negative side of life in Finland is not only depressing to watch, but also depressing in its emotional let down. Finnish culture is inherently unemotional in expression and tends to only say what needs to be said, but in a film depicting such difficult aspects as homelessness, poverty, and amnesia it is an endlessly annoying aspect. The extensive use of Finnish culture and societal aspects, rather than adding to a unique film, creates a film that seems lost in confusing cultural and societal norms while adding an increasingly difficult aspect of 1950s Americana. These aspects of culture, society, and Americana serve to undermine and destroy an otherwise good film.The film "The Man without a Past" is an otherwise fascinating tale of a man who having suffered amnesia from a brutal robbery rebuilds a new identity and a new life until he is finally confronted by his past life. Depicting the hardships associated with Finnish males leaving home to find work in the city is seen through an interesting light by negating comparison to the past through amnesia. The main character, Jakko, whose name we do not learn until the end of the film (amnesia rendering him with no knowledge of himself or his past) is forced to rebuild his life through the charity of others and through this process he finds his true self and his true life. This unique aspect of hardship, despair, and incontinence seems a unique depiction from which to draw an ending of finding oneself, however, this is a very Finnish way of viewing life and is the only aspect of Finnish culture and society which adds to the film.Throughout the dialog between characters seems strangely wrapped in Shakespearian soliloquy, as they are short, poignant, and have a somewhat musical rhythm. Yet, in a film setting which is not based in the past or which is attempting to draw a Shakespearian feel this simply renders the characters confusing in their speech and creates a sense that the actors in the film are either of an extremely low quality or simply cannot act. In that a sense of emotionality, something that Finns are not know for portraying, is utterly missing throughout the film. This lack of emotion draws the viewer away from the film itself and renders them utterly confused and frustrated at trying to decipher what could be described as an excessive Vulcan complex, where pure logic and no emotion tends to render all humor, sadness, despair, love, and friendship as a confusing ballet of inept tinkering. This innate cultural aspect could be understood if the director's films were sought after in Finland, this not being the case however it leaves one wondering why it was included.Societal conceptions of basic ideals such as the welfare state, religion, and robbery are also compromised through the films very Finnish portrayal. In the film Jakko attempts to find work through the welfare state but is rejected for not having a name. Yet, rather than attempt to illustrate his problem to the official, he simply accepts the fact that without knowledge of his name he will not receive employment through the state and thus will be ineligible for assistance. After his rejection, Jakko returns to the Salvation Army which offers him work and creates an identity for him. This counter play between societal conceptions of the welfare state and religion seem to depict religion as being more open to assisting individuals regardless of their past, yet no one can move forward without the welfare state. This is seen in the final aspect of a robbery, which Jakko is a bystander to, which sees him attempting to open an account in order to receive funds from his employment with the Salvation Army. He is again denied on the basis of a lack of a name; even upon hinting that any name will do he simply says that he doesn't have a name. This heavy societal dependence on a sense of identity could be seen, if not for its Finnish nature, as depicting what is lost in the movement from one's home to an inter-land in order to find employment. Yet, giving its Finnish nature of conversation and unemotional basis one simply becomes confused and frustrated at Jakko's seemingly unwillingness to simply create a new identity. An unwillingness which would be understood to represent an individual's struggle with giving up themselves if not for the confusion of Finnish societal conceptions of rules and hiding one's true self from general perception by others.The final aspect of the addition of 1950s Americana to the film renders an already confused and belittled meaning to the film simply incomprehensible. Now not only is one confused by interactions of individuals but the setting too becomes a hodgepodge of misused icons of 1950s Americana which destroy any early conception of time and place which would help a viewer to understand the film. Rather one is left to figure out the significance of 1950s Americana to the film if any. The decade being one of the so called good-life in America, but with underlying problems which lead to the turbulent 60s. Yet, the director did not seem intent on drawing a parallel between 1950s America and present day Finland. The moving gave no depiction of unrest and ended on a note of acceptance of hardship and despair being the path to finding one's true self. Thus this indulgence seems to detract from the film more than add any kind of significance or affection for 1950s nostalgia.A film which would otherwise represent a decent film on the trials of the individual in finding himself or herself in the modern chaos which would have appealed to an unlimited audience is both detracted and lost in an overabundance of one culture, one society, and one's nostalgia.