DVD of the week: The Man Without a Past

Published in The Post-Star (D4)
12/23/05

The Man Without a Past 2002. Written and directed by Aki Kaurismaki. Starring Markku Peltola and Kati Outinen. 97 minutes. Rated PG-13 for some violence. In Finnish, with subtitles.

Like the country it comes from, this Finnish film takes a little warming up to. The cover promises a "hilarious comedy," but it would be more aptly labeled "quietly touching, with occasional deadpan humor." Viewers will be rewarded for giving this thoughtful story a chance to draw them in, however.

The protagonist, M (Markku Peltola), doesn't even speak for the first few scenes. When we first meet him, he's sleeping on a park bench, and gets brutally beaten by some passing thugs. He ends up in the hospital, apparently dead -- but after the doctors have walked away, he abruptly revives and wanders off in silence, still wearing bandages on his head. No one seems to notice his zombielike presence until he collapses on the beach.

He is taken in by one of the extremely poor families who have made a home in the empty metal shipping containers along the shore, and becomes part of their community. Here, at last, he speaks. He tells his new friends that he can't remember anything about himself, not even his name. They respond with the sort of classic understatement that marks the script: "That's bad."

There's not a trace of self-pity in M's demeanor, and this stays true throughout the film. He simply accepts what life gives him and makes the best of it. This serves him well, and before long, he has found a home, a job, and even a girlfriend (Kati Outinen).

Their relationship is one of the most understated, and most beautiful, elements of the plot. Outinen is an outstanding actress, whose mournful middle-aged face conveys all the yearning and hope that comes with a first love.

The overarching message of the film is highly moral, without being preachy. It won three awards at Cannes, including best actress for Outinen, and was nominated for an Oscar in 2003.
You can check it out for free at the local public library.

If you like "The Man Without a Past," check out Aki Kaurismaki's 1999 film "Juha," also starring Outinen, about a runaway farmer's wife who ends up trapped in a brothel.