The Man Without a Past
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Movie Reviews of The Man Without a Past
Movie Review: A micro-society of the Finnish past...
Summary: 5 Stars
A man arrives to Helsinki by train and he stops by a park in order to get some rest, but he is attacked by three thugs that leave him for dead. He is brought to a hospital where he is pronounced dead, but he struggles and returns to life. He leaves the hospital, but passes out again and when he wakes up he suffers from amnesia. He finds himself powerless in his search for housing and a job, since he cannot remember his name or past. As an outcast he moves into a large metal container by the sea outside Helsinki in order to get back on his feet. Man Without a Past is Kaurismäki's second installment in a Finnish trilogy and it displays the strong will and struggle of the Finnish people, which is also known as "Sisu". It can also symbolize the hundreds of years when Finland was occupied by foreign powers such as Russia, Sweden, and Germany. These three foreign powers can be represented as the three thugs in the film. In the end, Man Without a Past is a warm film that offers a wonderful cinematic experience.Movie Review: Unique & Fun, Start-To-Finnish
Summary: 5 Stars
I've watched this three times now, and throughly enjoyed all three viewings, finding this film to really be a unique one. It's a Finnish film, which is unusual to start with, at least here in the U.S. because we don't see too many films from Finland. It's a black comedy, meaning deadpan looks with subtle comedic lines.
The main actor, Markuu Peltola, is perfect for this movie with one of the most deadpan faces you'll ever see. He is amazing to watch and Kati Outinen, as his love interest, is similarly strange and fascinating. Part of their charm are their unusual looks. This is not a romance between people who look like your normal handsome film stars.
Simply, this is just something very different from anything you've seen. It's a combination of drama, comedy and romance with some of the strangest dialog I've ever heard on film.
If you appreciate dry humor and a bizarre but touching story, you should see this.
Movie Review: Great Sequel
Summary: 5 Stars
"The Man Without a Past" is the fine sequel to "Kauas pilvet Karkaavat"("Drifting Clouds"). This film deserved the Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film for 2002(Finland). The plot is brilliant! It combines tragegy, hope, love, and anger beautifully. From the moment the lead character is severely assaulted and left with amnesia, the chain of events continue to build until the end, giving the audience the added excitement the whole time. Multiple ironic details are discovered as "the man"(he doesn't remember his name) slowly regains his memory. Many unexpected events occur, keeping everything interesting. Every actor pours their heart and soul through their characters, giving the movie theme the added emotion. Shamefully, none of them received any Oscar nominations. "The Man Without a Past" is a great movie for those looking for something unique. Many will be entertained.Movie Review: The Man Without a Past
Summary: 5 Stars
Finnish auteur Kaurismaki puts a heartrendingly fresh twist on the amnesia theme with this entry, a superb mix of deadpan black humor and lower-class anguish that somehow lifts the spirits. It's impossible not to pity Peltola's stone-faced amnesiac, and Outinen's inexpressive Army savior, but Kaurismaki keeps his bleak twists of fate from sinking into hopelessness and futility. With the barest of dialogue and great generosity of spirit, "The Man Without a Past" earns every heartbreaking laugh, and makes spareness and scarcity seem almost virtuous.Movie Review: Down to earth movie
Summary: 5 Stars
The plot in this movie is a very sensitive, down to earth story. After severely beaten by three men, a man (who is probably in his mid to late forties) loses all memory and ends up with having to build a life from scratch. He goes through hunger, humiliation, desperation -though later we'll see him with ambitions to become a music manager.Even though the story is set in Finland, what this man goes through can happen to anyone regardless of nationality. Everyone in town seems to be against this well-intended albeit ailing man.