Fallen Leaves

Oscar-nominated filmmaker Aki Kaurismäki (Le Havre; The Other Side of Hope) makes a masterful return with Fallen Leaves, a funny, hopeful and endearing love story about two lonely souls’ path to happiness – and the numerous hurdles they encounter along the way. Set in contemporary Helsinki, and shot through with Kaurismäki’s typically playful, idiosyncratic style and deadpan humor, Fallen Leaves follows Ansa (Alma Pöysti), a recently unemployed supermarket employee, who meets construction worker Holappa (Jussi Vatanen) at a karaoke bar, sparking an immediate connection. Their relationship blossoms during a successful movie date, but a subsequent series of quietly comical mishaps threaten to derail the budding romance. Winner of the Jury Prize at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, Kaurismäki’s tender tragicomedy is a charming reminder of the potency of movie-going and the power of human connection. (Dir. by Aki Kaurismäki, 2023, Finland/Germany, in Finnish with English subtitles, 81 mins., Not Rated)