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The Man Without a Past
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Wikipedia article
'The Man Without a Past' is a 2002 Finnish comedy-drama film produced, written, and directed by Aki Kaurismki. Starring Markku Peltola, Kati Outinen and Juhani Niemel, it is the second installment in Kaurismki's 'Finland' trilogy, the other two films being 'Drifting Clouds' (1996) and 'Lights in the Dusk' (2006). The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2002 (the only Finnish film so far) and won the Grand Prix at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.Fauth, Jurgen. [http://worldfilm.about.com/od/scandinavianfilm/fr/manwithoutpast.htm The Man Without a Past] , 'About.com'. Accessed February 5, 2008.
Plot
The film begins with an unnamed man arriving by train to Helsinki. After falling asleep in Kaisaniemi Park, he is mugged and beaten by hoodlums and is left with severe head injuries, losing consciousness. He awakes and wanders back to the train station and collapses in its toilet. He awakes the second time in a hospital and finds that he has lost his memory. He starts his life from scratch, living in a shipping container, finding clothes with help from the Salvation Army and making friends with his poor neighbours.
Cast
*Markku Peltola as M
*Kati Outinen as Irma
*Juhani Niemel as Nieminen
*Kaija Pakarinen as Kaisa Nieminen
*Sakari Kuosmanen as Anttila
*Annikki Thti as Manager of Flea Market
*Anneli Sauli as Bar Owner
*Elina Salo as Dock Clerk
*Outi Menp as Bank Clerk
*Esko Nikkari as Bank Robber
*Pertti Sveholm as Police Detective
*Matti Wuori as himself (lawyer)
*Aino Seppo as Ex-wife
*Janne Hyytiinen as Ovaskainen
*Antti Reini as Electrician
Production
'The Man Without a Past' was co-produced by the Finnish companies Sputnik and YLE, the German companies Bavaria Film Studios and Pandora Filmproduktion and the French company Pyramide Productions.
Critical reception
The film received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 98%, based on 99 critics, with an average rating of 7.98/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Kaurismki delivers another droll comedy full of his trademark humor."[http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/man_without_a_past/ The Man Without a Past at Rotten Tomatoes.] Accessed 27 March 2017. On Metacritic, the film has a score of 84 out of 100, based on 29 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[http://www.metacritic.com/video/titles/manwithoutapast The Man Without a Past at Metacritic.] Accessed 27 March 2017. Roger Ebert awarded the film three-and-a-half stars out of 4, saying he "felt a deep but indefinable contentment".Ebert, Roger. [http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-man-without-a-past-2003 The Man Without a Past] , 'RogerEbert.com', June 27, 2003. Accessed January 30, 2016. Kirk Honeycutt of 'The Hollywood Reporter' said the film "contains not one false note. It is the work of an artist fully in control of his art."Honeycutt, Kirk. [https://web.archive.org/web/20061212011006/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1476247 The Man Without A Past (Finland)], 'The Hollywood Reporter, January 1, 2005. Accessed February 5, 2008. Archived from [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1476247 the original] on December 12, 2006. Barbara Scharres of the 'Chicago Reader' said that Kaurismki "perfects his trademark formula of deadpan humor and arctic circle pathos in this brilliantly ironic 2002 comedy."
Awards and nominations
References
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