Film Review: ‘Fallen Leaves’

At the outset, nothing is going right for the hope-to-be Helsinki couple. Ansa (Alma Poysti) works in a big box store, cashiering, stocking shelves and cleaning up. She shows little interest in her job – nor anything else for that matter. She has few friends among her colleagues and only one outside of work.

Another of her duties is to discard expired food products in the waste bins. On one such occasion, a stranger passes by and asks if he might take some of the expired food she is discarding. She replies, “Help yourself.”

Holappa (Jussi Vatanen) is equally bored with his work at an industrial factory. He does have two friends at his job, though, one is a colleague and the other is liquor. He sips from a pint bottle concealed in a power box on his way to his workstation.

Of course, he has a slim flask tucked into his coveralls and larger bottles stored in his shared room. The person with whom he shares the room has failed at encouraging him to stop drinking while at work.

Fresh starts are in the offing for the two workers. They are both fired. A security guard saw Ansa allow someone to “steal” from the store trash bins, so her handbag is searched when leaving work.

Inside her bag is a past expiration date sandwich – she’s fired on the spot. Holappa has an accident at work and while being treated by paramedics, is given a breath test. He spectacularly fails the test – his alcohol level is off the charts. His boss immediately terminates his employment.

By chance one evening, they attend a karaoke competition at the local pub. They share intense eye contact, but no words. On another such encounter, they muster the courage to speak and agree to go to the cinema in the near future.

The film they see is a 50s zombie movie, which brings little joy to their evening out. Before parting company, Ansa writes her phone number on a piece of paper, hands it to him and suggests he call to plan another date. The paper goes into his pocket and soon flies out again as he pulls out his cigarettes.

Ansa goes online to search for a job and is soon employed as a restaurant kitchen helper. Holappa finds work at a construction site. As chance would have it, they meet again in a different pub. This time, Ansa reveals her name and address and includes an invitation to dinner.

On the proposed evening, Holappa cleans himself up, borrows a jacket and stops at a florist for a house gift. Her apartment is tiny yet comfortable. For this dinner Ansa had to purchase an extra dinner plate and fork. She also decides to buy a split of sparkling wine. Holappa finishes his glass of wine in one gulp, then heads to the flask hidden in his jacket. Game over.

There might be one more chance for the two to connect – they plan to dine out in a restaurant. Ansa has agreed to the plan as Holappa has promised he has given up drinking because his alcoholism is interfering with their budding romance. He hopes for it to move forward.

Shortly after grabbing his jacket and dashing out his front door ,the screeching of tires and a loud thump is heard. Ansa sits in the restaurant waiting.

Directed by Aki Kaurismaki (Credits: The Other Side of Hope, Le Harve), Fallen Leaves runs 81 minutes and is a “see” for fans of Scandinavian film-making. This slow-moving story, considered a tragicomedy, is an award winner at the Cannes Film Festival.