Finland’s ‘Fallen Leaves’ is a quiet, unassuming masterpiece

The best films have a tendency to creep up on you – the ones which leave you reeling even days after first viewing and those which only improve on reappraisal. Fallen Leaves is certainly one of those. Marking the return of Aki Kaurismäki six years after his last feature and a continuation of his Proletariat series, it tenderly tells the story of Ansa and Holappa, two working-class, poor, and lonely Finns who try to build a relationship.

Charmingly understated, nothing about this new film is forced. It lasts barely over an hour and does not gloss over the relative unhappiness of the leads or try to force a turbo-charged, Romeo and Juliet-esque love affair. Everything about it is natural, from the neo-Soviet aesthetics to the short but powerful dialogue. As much is unsaid as is said, the way a film often should be.

Yet Fallen Leaves is also bitterly funny, in amongst the isolation and despair. The karaoke scene featuring the pair and their work colleagues could happily belong in any unrepentant sitcom. There is also an appealing dryness to their slowly blossoming romance. For those like me who loathe overwrought romcoms, you will find company in this cinematic treat.

Running parallel to the main plot is the frequent intervention of the war in Ukraine, often via snippets on the radio detailing the compounding casualties and worsening conflict

Running parallel to the main plot is the frequent intervention of the war in Ukraine, often via snippets on the radio detailing the compounding casualties and worsening conflict. After all, it is a very present reality for Finland and Finns, the neighbouring nation having joined NATO in May 2023. At first, these inter-political references feel a bit misplaced and unbefitting. But as they recur with more and more frequency, they start to feel almost radical, a two-finger insult from Kaurismäki and his nation to the fear that Russian President Vladimir Putin seeks to instigate.

Whilst I certainly err on the side of slightly-too-short films as opposed to overly-too-long ones, Fallen Leaves may leave you feeling a bit diddled. Ansa and Holappa’s romance progresses at such a slow speed that you wonder if we could have seen more of it, and there is such an assortment of themes (from alcoholism to unemployment) that is hard to digest in parts. But if the famous Maya Angelou line – that people will forget what you said and did but not how you made them feel – can be extrapolated to films, Fallen Leaves ticks the box.