The man finds himself having to rent what looks to be an old shipping container to live in and to rely on the charity of those around him and the Salvation Army. But giving up is never even…. Just a great, simple premise handled perfectly.
It doesn't aim for any kind of self-serious philosophical importance, instead opting for deadpan humor and trepidatious longing. Movie 3 in the 30 Countries Challenge : Finland.
Aki Kaurismaki is the Finnish film industry, and his films are so unlike anything else being produced. He is definitely one of my favourite contemporary film makers, and The Man Without a Past ranks as one of the best films I have seen from him. The film explores a proletariat identity crisis in Helsinki, where the titular memory-less main character is thrown into poverty at the very bottom of the social ladder. He struggles with corrupt landowners, violent gangs, and a social and financial system that is set against him.
The film's location in the slums of Helsinki is filled with incredibly filthy and rough terrain, yet the main character makes the…. There are so many great elements in The Man Without a Past and I'm sad that it didn't connect with me at any point. It simultaneously makes for hilarious and sad moments.
Similar to the stunning Lazzaro Felice , the titular man finds himself born again , after getting seemingly randomly beaten to an inch of his life as the violent trauma has rendered him unable to recall the life he once lived. Where Lazzaro , himself, was the epitome of saintly kindness, the past-less man, though definitely not void of compassion, relies on the inherent willingness to care from the social outcasts that keep him alive — a solid socioeconomic statement that feels sincere and unforced.
As a fan of the deliciously deadpan, humanist and air-tight Proletariat trilogy, I was happy to see that Kaurismaki's most acclaimed film was of a similar vein.
As usual, Kaurismaki's stylistic trinity of muses Cigarettes, Rock and Outinen rule the day. The Man Without a Past is a good encapsulation of Kaurismaki's career. The film says something important about the always-at-hand possibility of a new day, starting anew and living unburdened by the past. Being without a past is not easy mind you, as the film echoes a Christ like story. It reminds of the realist difficulty an angel or alien being…. Review by Aman. Just as the title suggests, the story follows a man who doesn't remember anything about his past.
He was beat up by thugs , when he woke up , he could not remember his name , where he was from or any other personal information. I enjoyed watching this film 'cause I felt an emotional connection to the main character. Centro Historico, helmed by four film legends Aki Kaurismaki, Pedro Costa, Victor Erice and Manoel de Oliveira, find themselves no exception the "hard to pull off-rule. First up to bat is Kaurismaki, the largest outsider of the bunch, who attempts to deliver a silent, deadpan view of a Finnish man, lonely in a foreign country, on the outside looking in of a different society than the one he is accustomed to, but it only stays droll and never lifts off or does anything remotely close to even Kaurismaki's middling works.
Pedro Costa, takes on some Portuguese…. Though only two of the directors are Portuguese, each segment engages well with Portugal's present and past, representing changing times in their own way. Pedro Costa confronts Portugal's past with his frequent collaborator Ventura, creating an incredibly interesting conversation between an immigrant from Africa and a character that might represent his own thoughts.
Review by Marcus Martins. Apenas visto 'Sweet Exorcism', obra-prima de Pedro Costa. This film was commisioned by the city of Guimaraes, Portugal in honor of their recognition as a European Capital of Culture. Taking major inspiration from the slate of city films that Paris, Je T'aime really kicked off, four major players in European cinema were hired, two Portuguese and two not.
Just about every review of this film has pointed out that these names, while all outstanding, have very little similar. Because of this many felt this film suffered, one critic even going so far as to claim it was deemed unreleasable.
0コメント