The Man Without a Past
Release Date:
April 4, 2003
Limited release
This award-winning film from Finland takes an interesting look at the typical amnesia film. The movie is written and directed by veteran Finnish filmmaker Aki Kaurismaki and has won quite a bit of critical acclaim on the film festival circuit, including big prizes at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.
The movie's main character, named just simply "M" (Markku Peltola), takes a trip to Helsinki to get a job. However, fate intervenes and he is brutally beaten during a mugging. He ends up in a hospital with a case of amnesia. Without his memory, he has to try and start his life over from scratch. A charming Salvation Army worker (Kati Outinen) helps out “M” and ends up falling in love with him during their time together.
The unique aspect of this story is that "M" tries to make a new life for himself, rather that trying to find his past. He makes a new group of friends among the people that take advantage of the Salvation Army's services. Even though they are dirt poor, they provide true dignity, generosity, and friendship.
This film was Finland's entry in the Foreign Language category at this year's Academy Awards ceremony. As I mentioned before, it has won huge critical praise and been very well received by audiences. One thing to keep in mind, this movie is currently in Finnish with English subtitles. It has not been dubbed unlike quite a few foreign films we get in the United States. This may be one to take a chance on if it comes to a film festival near you. (Marty Doskins/BOP)
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