The Cannes Film Festival welcomed Les Feuilles Mortes in competition. This is the fifth time Finnish filmmaker Aki Kaurismäki has been invited to the Cannes competition. The film won the Prix du Jury, ahead of its theatrical release on September 20.
Like most of Aki Kaurismäki's films, Dead Leaves focuses on characters from the Finnish proletariat. Alma Pöysti and Jussi Vatanen play the roles of two lonely people who meet by chance in Helsinki and try to find their first, only and last love.
Fans of the filmmaker's work won't be put off: this is pure Kaurismäki! Even the film's actress, Alma Pöysti, bears a striking resemblance to the director's muse Kati Outinen, whom he directed in 11 films. The director plunges us into a timeless Finland, filmed in a style straight out of the 1970s. But this time, the director breaks new ground. Les Feuilles Mortes is much funnier than most of his films. But it's a dry, gritty, desperate kind of humor. There's nothing funny about the daily lives of the two protagonists, who remain anonymous for most of the film. There's the austerity so dear to Kaurismäki's heart, sad bars on the outskirts surrounded by construction sites and dark, cold-walled alleys.
In such a setting, it's easy to understand why the protagonists prefer to remain silent and drown their daily lives in alcohol. But the meeting of these two sad beings is immensely touching in its sweetness and bittersweet poetry. No one films the proletariat with more talent and love than Kaurismäki, which makes Les Feuilles Mortes a truly moving feature.
Films Incontournables UGC 2024: the best films of 2023 back in cinemas for €5
Les Films Incontournables UGC is aptly named, as it features the best films of the past year. The new edition of this must-see event takes place from January 10 to 23, 2024, in some 15 cinemas in the Paris region. Good news: tickets are only 5 euros. It's also an opportunity to meet and talk with some of the directors. Here's the program! [Read more]
Drama is a popular genre with movie lovers, and there are plenty of films representing it in cinemas. If you're not sure what to choose for your movie night, we have several titles to recommend. Follow the guide! [Read more]
Not sure which film to see today? Well, we've got plenty of films to show near you. [Read more]
Films Incontournables UGC 2024: the best films of 2023 back in cinemas for €5
Cinema: dramas and thrillers currently showing in cinemas and coming soon
Cinema: which film to see today, this Thursday April 25th, 2024?
