If you woke up today with no name and no memory of the childhood that shaped you, the people you hurt or even the kind of person you were, who would you choose to be? Would it be a choice? Could you start over and ‘get it right’ this time around? These are the questions asked by The man without a past.

In a nutshell…

M is beaten up and wakes up with no memory. He floats around Helsinki relying on the kindness of strangers. Slowly but surely he starts building a life, a life where he does not need a name.

The mood of the film…

You could print, frame and hang the cinematography of this film on your lounge wall. It would remind you of a simple time in your life, when you were clear on right and wrong and being happy took very little effort.

The emotions are simple, without angst or guilt. M, freed from his past, fancies Irma and he slowly pulls his life together in order to court her. No complications.

The performances date from a bygone era. The way the actors walk and pose, deliver their lines with precision but very little emotion and even smoke cigarettes is reminiscent of Gone with the Wind or another great classic.

The actors chosen for this film are far from glamorous, far from what Hollywood would see as ‘pretty’. They have lots of wrinkles, crooked teeth and even features from a bygone era. It makes the film more authentic, but also a touch strange. I loved it!

Best one-liner…

An electrician helps M to ‘borrow’ power from the closest pylon and connect it to his container. When M enquires about his fees, the guy answers ‘Turn me over if you find me face down in a ditch one day.’

Best scene…

M invites Irma to dinner in his container house. He burns the food, plays her music from the refurbished jukebox and still gets to make out!

Best performance…

All the actors shine.

What makes the film relevant today?

In a society where we complicate our lives to the point where we can no longer discern between right and wrong, we could do with a dose of ‘the basics’. It would do us good to lose all the material things and difficult relationships we surround ourselves with and start from scratch.

FYI

The man without a past is the second film in Aki Kaurismäki’s “Finland” trilogy. It follows The Drifting Clouds.

Rotten Tomato Score

98%

My Score

95%

Youtube Link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yP59ZLGY3bQ

(The quality is horrible, but it is all I could find.)

Boring stuff…

Runtime: 1 hr. 37 min

Director: Aki Kaurismäki

Starring: Markku Peltola, Kati Outinen, Juhani Niemelä, Kaija Pakarinen, Sakari Kuosmanen, Annikki Tähti, Anneli Sauli, Elina Salo, Outi Mäenpää, Esko Nikkari, Pertti Sveholm, Matti Wuori, Aino Seppo, Janne Hyytiäinen, Antti Reini