Mies vailla menneisyyttä (2002)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Aki Kaurismäki

Writer:

Aki Kaurismäki (written by)

Release Date:

23 August 2002 (Norway)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Music | Romance | Thriller

Plot:

The second part of Aki Kaurismäki's "Finland" trilogy, the film follows a man who arrives in Helsinki...

Plot Keywords:

Amnesia | Suitcase | Deprivation Of Liberty | Earthmoving Machine | Radio

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 20 wins & 21 nominations

Cast

Markku Peltola	...	M
Kati Outinen	...	Irma
Juhani Niemelä	...	Nieminen
Kaija Pakarinen	...	Kaisa Nieminen
Sakari Kuosmanen	...	Anttila
Annikki Tähti	...	Manager of Flea Market
Anneli Sauli	...	Bar Owner
Elina Salo	...	Dock Clerk
Outi Mäenpää	...	Bank Clerk
Esko Nikkari	...	Bank Robber
Pertti Sveholm	...	Police Detective
Matti Wuori	...	Layer
Aino Seppo	...	Ex-wife
Janne Hyytiäinen	...	Ovaskainen
Antti Reini	...	Electrician

Also Known As:

Der Mann ohne Vergangenheit (Germany)
Irtolainen (Finland) (working title)
L'homme sans passé (France)
The Man Without a Past (International: English title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some violence.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

Finland | Germany | France

Language:

Finnish

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Portugal:M/12 | Iceland:12 | Hungary:14 | South Korea:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Finland:K-7 | Germany:12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:11 | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | Italy:T | Singapore:PG | Canada:A (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Helsinki, Finland

Company:

Bavaria Film

Trivia:

Chosen by "Telerama" (France) as one of the 10 best pictures of 2002 (#01, tied with "Hable con ella")

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The Helsinki railway station's extension roof is clearly visible at the opening scene, but it hadn't been build yet in 1996 (the year can be read from the newspaper).

Quotes:

Nieminen: You've got worker hands. You must have used these hands; you don't look like a reader.
M: Thank you.
Nieminen: You're welcome.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Matka suomalaiseen elokuvaan: Naurua pimeässä (#1.2)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Veto

A weird, but astonishing and silently funny film

Whoever has seen any of Aki Kaurismäki's films might agree that they are all but mainstream. Nevertheless, the story itself doesn't have to be too complicated. In this case, a man completely loses his past in a shockingly violent way, and he rediscovers life again in an environment of bums who sleep in containers. The good thing I found about this movie was: No romanticism of misery, no enlightenment of the tortured hero, no sob-stuff love story, no superfluous, aloof intellectualism at all. At least not in an obtrusive or overly serious way. But in a way that it sometimes shocked me , sometimes made me laugh, sometimes grin. I was never bored. And as I made it to Finland for the first time in my life a few weeks after seeing this movie - I found everything to be amazingly authentic.

A remarkable film that definitely moves into my shrine of the best 50!