The Man Without a Past

Aki Kaurismäki's celebrated `Loser` trilogy comprises Drifting Clouds, The Man Without a Past and Lights in the Dusk.  I only became aware of Kaurismäki when Lights in the Dusk was sent to me as a review disc, followed by Volumes 1 and 2 of the Aki Kaurismäki Collection, the latter of which included Drifting Clouds.  The Man Without a Past was released separately on DVD in 2003, so was omitted by Artificial Eye from the collections. This appears to be a re-release of the 2003 disc.
 
After catching the train to Helsinki, a man (Markku Peltola) sits on a park bench and is knocked out, badly beaten and robbed by three men.  Stumbling into a toilet and collapsing in a pool of blood, he is taken to hospital where he flatlines and is pronounced dead.  Miraculously, he regains consciousness, straightens his broken nose and leaves the hospital only to falls asleep in a ditch and have his boots stolen by a tramp, who swaps them for his own knackered trainers. Suffering from complete amnesia, he is taken in by a family who live in an empty cargo container near the coast but, without identification or even knowledge of his name, he cannot get a job, a bank account, housing or state benefits. 
 
The man, who appears in the credits as 'M', gets a container of his own in a scheme run by a corrupt security guard and gradually decorates the place, installing a jukebox he finds at the roadside and other cast off furniture.  When the family take him out to dinner at a Salvation Army soup kitchen, he meets and falls in love with Irma (Kati Outinen), a volunteer.  After a while he's in an uneasy relationship with her, working in the store and teaching the Salvation Army band about the Blues, R&B and Rock 'n' Roll.  But who is he, what is he doing in Helsinki and is anyone looking for him?
 

Unlike such narrative trilogies as The Godfather, The Lord of The Rings and The Matrix, watching thematic trilogies out of sequential order isn't a barrier to your enjoyment.  You don't need to have seen Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance to understand, appreciate and enjoy Oldboy and the same applies here.  Despite not having seen Drifting Clouds or Lights in the Dusk for months, I really enjoyed The Man Without a Past, as it works as a stand-alone film, without reference to Aki Kaurismäki's other work.
 
The film is deliberately paced, with sparse dialogue (as if speaking is a chore in this existence), but is beautifully shot and full of pathos and deadpan humour, which is not only in situations but in the dialogue:
"What do I owe you?"
"If you find me face down in the gutter, just turn me over."
 
The Man Without a Past won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2002 Cannes film festival, with Kati Outinen picking up the Best Actress award and, later, both she and the film received Oscar nominations. Having not seen the other films in competition, I can't say whether the film and Outinen were deserving or hard done by but I am sure that this is an extremely accomplished piece of work, a beautifully observed bittersweet drama in which  Kaurismäki manages to find humour and joy in even the most dreadful of situations.  It's not a film that sounds like a bundle of laughs but there are moments of levity, especially in the absurdist sense, such as when the man is taken out to dinner, but it's to a soup kitchen.  I imagine that Kaurismäki's films will be an acquired taste, but it's a taste worth acquiring and this is a good starting point.
 

The Disc

 
Extra Features
The paucity of the extra features is a shame as both Aki Kaurismäki and Kati Outinen are good talkers so interviews would have been a nice addition, so all you get are some biographies and trailers.
 
The Picture
Aki Kaurismäki tends to use the desolate, industrial landscapes of the Finnish cities well, showing how people are left behind by economic progress and can be alien in their own land.  Finland is a strange country anyway, different to the rest of Scandinavia due to its proximity to Russia and seems much harder and bleak than you imagine.  The film is wonderfully observed and shot and presented well in a sharp anamorphic 1.78:1 transfer, which uses generally muted colours and to good effect.
 
The Sound
A low-key soundtrack, presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, with high-quality burned-in English subtitles, which will probably only be an issue if you're Finnish.  The sparse dialogue and Kaurismäki's eclectic rock 'n' roll soundtrack are clear.


 
Final Thoughts
I was slightly surprised to find this being re-released, obviously Optimum consider there is a market for these films and I'd like to see the first instalment in the 'Loser' (or 'Finland') Trilogy, Drifting Clouds, given another outing on DVD; Lights in the Dusk is still available to buy.
 
I really like Aki Kaurismäki's work as his deadpan humour fits with my own and though I'm not Finnish, there is something universal about the characters that makes them easy to identify with and like.  This is a wonderful film and good entry point into Kaurismäki's oeuvre.