The Man Without A Past
The second installation of Aki Kaurismäki's "Finland Trilogy," this touching and amusing film portrays a man who must start his life anew when he is brutally mugged and loses his memory.
'M' is a man who arrives in Helsinki to be set upon by thugs and pronounced dead by the medics. By some miracle he comes to, but with no memory or his identity. Rebuilding his life from scratch, 'M' falls in love with a Salvation Army volunteer. But the past inevitably catches up with him.
Certificate: 12
Key cast / credits:
Dir: Aki Kaurismäki
Cast: Markku Peltola, Kati Outinen, Juhani Niemelä, Kaija Pakarinen, Sakari Kuosmanen
Running time: 97 mins
Release date: January 2003
Country: Finland/Germany/ France
Language: Finnish
Format available: 35mm/digi
"Gentle, charming, quirky and utterly unique" Guardian
"Rich, lush" FT
"Should have won the Palmer d' Or" Evening Standard
"A real breakthrough" Evening Standard/ Metro Life
"Subtle and understated" Empire
"Droll, surreal" Independent