I estimate that the Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki must have made twenty films. And I have to make too much useless effort to remember their argument. It does come to mind, due to its somber originality, that of I hired a hitman. In it, a devastated man, who does not muster enough courage to commit suicide, hires a professional assassin to end his desperate life. But something miraculous is going to happen to her and he no longer wants to die. The problem is breaking a contract with the stranger who must do his job.
But the rest of the stories he has told are confusing to me. They all seem the same to me. And my opinion is not pejorative nor does it imply indifference towards his world. That universe is immediately recognizable, eccentric, minimalist, populated by characters, situations and feelings that repeat themselves. All of this, shot with an unmistakable style, minimal resources, dialogues that are as brief as they are conceptual, unknown actors and actresses who do not seem to interpret, very sad or absurd situations, but which in some moments possess humor and even a spirit of comedy. His characters never gesture, they tell just enough about their mood and it is very rare that they smile or laugh. It makes absolute sense that Kaurismäki declares his admiration for the very personal, stylized and inimitable cinema made by creators such as Robert Bresson and Jean-Pierre Melville. He also really likes, like so many authors with excessive concerns, Godard's. However, in that adoration I get lost, I prefer not to understand the reasons.
Fallen Leaves, As always, it offers no plot or stylistic surprises. It is more of the same. Viewers who enjoy this director's keys, his peculiar way of portraying people and things, will continue to be fascinated and moved. And neophytes can freak out. Some will enjoy the enchantment and others will have the feeling of not understanding anything or believing that this universe is a joke or absurd. In any case, the footage, as always in this man's cinema, and in a crazy era that imposes endless durations on films, does not reach an hour and a half. Enough time for Kaurismäki to tell how mistreated the working class is, although the protagonist carries it with sadness and resignation (the radio, with which she tries to find some relaxation, continually reminds her of the barbarity of Ukraine) and the sullen loser with the that this woman has magically connected wanders from one job to another, drags her nihilism with the permanent and destructive company of a bottle of vodka and meets with other desperate workers in karaoke bars that tend towards the funereal.
In the midst of so much emotional disaster and gloomy circumstances, the lyrical and compassionate Kaurismäki imagines that the balm can appear, that two unfortunate people fall in love and that this feeling can act as a temporary or definitive lifeline. He even accompanies them on their difficult path, paying homage to Modern times, a little dog called Chaplin.
This strange director does not intend to deceive anyone. Its rituals and atmosphere have survived for forty years. They adore him at film festivals, and he manages with little money and obvious talent to continue offering his unconventional vision of the world. I like his cinema and his personality. But when rigorous criticism compares him to God, he makes me laugh a little.
Fallen Leaves
Address: Aki Kaurismäki.
Performers: Alam Pöysti, Jussi Vatanen, Martti Suosalo, Alina Tomnikov, Janne Hyytiäinen.
Gender: tragicomedy. Finland, 2023.
Duration: 81 minutes.
Premiere: December 27.
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