The Man Without a Past
The Man Without a Past | |
---|---|
International poster | |
Directed by | Aki Kaurismäki |
Produced by | Aki Kaurismäki |
Written by | Aki Kaurismäki |
Starring |
Markku Peltola Kati Outinen Juhani Niemelä |
Music by | Leevi Madetoja |
Cinematography | Timo Salminen |
Edited by | Timo Linnasalo |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 97 minutes |
Country | Finland |
Language | Finnish |
Budget | €1,206,000[1] |
Box office | $9,564,237 |
The Man Without a Past (Finnish: Mies vailla menneisyyttä) is a 2002 Finnish comedy-drama film directed by Aki Kaurismäki and starring Markku Peltola, Kati Outinen and Juhani Niemelä. It is the second installment in Kaurismäki's Finland trilogy, the other two films being Drifting Clouds (1996) and Lights in the Dusk (2006). The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2002 and won the Grand Prix at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.[2]
Plot
The film begins with an unnamed man arriving by train to Helsinki. After falling asleep in Kaisaniemi Park, he is mugged and beaten by hoodlums and is severely injured in the head, losing consciousness. He awakes and wanders back to the train station and collapses in its bathroom. He awakes the second time in a hospital and finds that he has lost his memory. He starts his life from scratch, living in container dwellings, finding clothes with help from the Salvation Army and making friends with the poor.
Cast
- Markku Peltola as M
- Kati Outinen as Irma
- Juhani Niemelä as Nieminen
- Kaija Pakarinen as Kaisa Nieminen
- Sakari Kuosmanen as Anttila
- Annikki Tähti as Manager of Flea Market
- Anneli Sauli as Bar Owner
- Elina Salo as Dock Clerk
- Outi Mäenpää as Bank Clerk
- Esko Nikkari as Bank Robber
- Pertti Sveholm as Police Detective
- Matti Wuori as himself (lawyer)
- Aino Seppo as Ex-wife
- Janne Hyytiäinen as Ovaskainen
- Antti Reini as Electrician
Production
The Man Without a Past was co-produced by the Finnish companies Sputnik and YLE, the German companies Bavaria Film Studios and Pandora Filmproduktion and the French company Pyramide Productions.
Critical reception
The film received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes rated it 98%,[3] while Metacritic rated it 84,[4] which, according to the website's criteria, classifies the film's reception as "universal acclaim". Roger Ebert awarded the film 3½ stars out of 4, saying he "felt a deep but indefinable contentment".[5] Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter said the film "contains not one false note. It is the work of an artist fully in control of his art."[6] Barbara Scharres of the Chicago Reader said that Kaurismäki "perfects his trademark formula of deadpan humor and arctic circle pathos in this brilliantly ironic 2002 comedy."[7]
Awards and nominations
Award | Year | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ACCEC Awards | 2002 | Best Foreign Film | Aki Kaurismäki | Won | |
Academy Awards | 2002 | Best Foreign Language Film | Nominated | [8] | |
Argentinean Film Critics Association Awards | 2002 | Best Foreign Film | Nominated | ||
Bangkok International Film Festival | 2003 | Best Actress | Kati Outinen | Won | [9][10][11] |
Best Screenplay | Aki Kaurismäki | Won | |||
Best Film | Aki Kaurismäki | Nominated | |||
Bodil Awards | 2002 | Best Non-American Film | Aki Kaurismäki | Nominated | |
Camerimage | 2002 | Golden Frog | Timo Salminen | Nominated | |
Cannes Film Festival | 2002 | Best Actress | Kati Outinen | Won | [12] |
Grand Prize of the Jury | Aki Kaurismäki | Won | |||
Prize of the Ecumenical Jury | Aki Kaurismäki | Won | |||
Golden Palm | Aki Kaurismäki | Nominated | |||
Palm Dog | Tähti | Won | |||
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | 2002 | Best Foreign Language Film | Nominated | ||
César Awards | 2002 | Best European Union Film | Nominated | ||
European Film Awards | 2002 | Audience Award - Best Director | Aki Kaurismäki | Nominated | |
Best Actor | Markku Peltola | Nominated | |||
Best Actress | Kati Outinen | Nominated | |||
Best Cinematographer | Timo Salminen | Nominated | |||
Best Director | Aki Kaurismäki | Nominated | |||
Best Film | Aki Kaurismäki | Nominated | |||
Best Screenwriter | Aki Kaurismäki | Nominated | |||
Fajr Film Festival | 2002 | International Competition - Best Screenplay | Aki Kaurismäki | Won | |
Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards | 2002 | Best Foreign-Language Film | Nominated | ||
Flanders International Film Festival | 2002 | Grand Prix | Aki Kaurismäki | Won | |
Guldbagge Awards | 2002 | Best Foreign Film | Won | ||
Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists | 2002 | Best Director - Foreign Film | Aki Kaurismäki | Nominated | |
Jussi Awards | 2002 | Best Film | Won | ||
Best Actress | Kati Outinen | Won | |||
Best Cinematography | Timo Salminen | Won | |||
Best Direction | Aki Kaurismäki | Won | |||
Best Editing | Timo Linnasalo | Won | |||
Best Script | Aki Kaurismäki | Won | |||
Best Actor | Markku Peltola | Nominated | |||
Lübeck Nordic Film Days | 2002 | Audience Prize | Aki Kaurismäki | Won | |
National Society of Film Critics Awards | 2002 | Best Foreign Language Film | Won | ||
Nordic Council | 2002 | Nordic Council's Film Prize | Aki Kaurismäki | Won | |
Palm Springs International Film Festival | 2002 | FIPRESCI Prize | Aki Kaurismäki | Won | |
Robert Festival | 2002 | Best Non-American Film | Aki Kaurismäki | Nominated | |
San Sebastián International Film Festival | 2002 | FIPRESCI Film of the Year | Aki Kaurismäki | Won |
References
- ↑ "Production support for Finnish films 1998-2004" (PDF) (in Finnish). Finnish Film Foundation. March 6, 2004. p. 2. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
- ↑ Fauth, Jurgen. The Man Without a Past Archived September 6, 2015, at the Wayback Machine., About.com. Accessed February 5, 2008.
- ↑ The Man Without a Past at Rotten Tomatoes. Archived May 18, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Accessed February 5, 2008.
- ↑ The Man Without a Past at Metacritic. Archived February 12, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Accessed February 5, 2008.
- ↑ Ebert, Roger. The Man Without a Past Archived July 7, 2016, at the Wayback Machine., RogerEbert.com, June 27, 2003. Accessed January 30, 2016.
- ↑ Honeycutt, Kirk. The Man Without A Past (Finland), The Hollywood Reporter, January 1, 2005. Accessed February 5, 2008. Archived from the original on December 12, 2006.
- ↑ Scharres, Barbara. "The Man Without a Past". Chicago Reader. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
- ↑ "The 75th Academy Awards (2003) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. AMPAS. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
- ↑ Watson, Nigel. Bangkok International Film Festival 2003, Talking Pix; retrieved 2007-12-22
- ↑ Hessey, Ruth. January 23, 2003. Bangkok finds its Golden Kinaree, The Age; retrieved 2007-12-22
- ↑ Brooks, Brian. 'Talk to Her' takes top prizes at Bangkok International Film Festival, IndieWire; retrieved 2007-12-22
- ↑ "Mies Vailla Menneisyytta (The Man Without A Past)". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved January 30, 2016.