The Man Without a Past [VHS]

This movie reminded me quite a bit of "Ariel," one of Kaurismaki's older films, and I would say that "Ariel" and "The Man Without a Past" are the best of his films that I have seen.Here, a man is mugged and severely beaten shortly after arriving in Helsinki. He suffers from amnesia and, without any identification, tries to survive as best he can without knowing his own name, let alone his social insurance number. He lives in a cargo container on the Helsinki waterfront, and ends up getting a low paying job with the Salvation Army.He falls in love with one of the Salvation Army ladies (Kati Outinen, who starred in Kaurismaki's "The Match Factory Girl"), but things get complicated when he eventually learns his real identity. His newfound love seems in jeopardy as he leaves Helsinki for his hometown in order to see a wife who is a stranger to him, and who may or may not be happy to see him again.I won't spoil the films ending by telling you how things turn out - but I will highly recommend this movie!I've noticed that some reviewers seem to think that Kaurismaki is making a negative statement about Finland's economy, and I can see why they think so: Most of the Finns you see are living in dingy apartments, cargo containers and dumpsters. But Kaurismaki's films have almost always been about the lower class/lumpen proletariat, in the same way that Eric Rohmer and Whit Stilman make films about the bourgeoisie. In Kaurismaki's "The Leningrad Cowboys Go to America," he portrayed the U.S. in the same fashion, showing mainly rundown neighborhoods and the lower strata of American society.Finns are known for their melancholy spirit (which some blame for their high suicide rate). It is something that one discerns from the books of Mika Waltari to the songs of Hector, as well as the films of Aki Kaurismaki. We see it in "The Man Without a Past," but I think that the real message of this film is one of hope: Even under the most adverse of living conditions, where one is without material wealth or even memories of the past, one can still find happiness in simple things like a glass of beer and a song on the jukebox, or from bigger things like the love of another.

With a wife feeling her spirit country is Finland, this was a good movie to gift. My immediate concerts were with the DVD itself. My copy seemed like it was burned, with a discolored (purple tinge) reading surface and a plain white with black text for disc art. The DVD also had no menu, just play. I bought the DVD through Amazon, so I assume it is just the quality of a smaller manufacturer. The movie, however, is quirky. It is very subtle. I found that if I tried to go in smiling, I got a better experience than if I was going in blind. This movie was great for my Finnish lover, and I found it to be a very enjoyable movie. There is nothing to new, and you can guess where it will go, but I liked the journey getting there.

While small budget film, it's great social commentary told with heart.It's great to watch it when you down. It definitely will uplift your spirit.

Aki Kaurismaki is considered to be one of the best filmmakers from Finland. The Man Without a Past is I wonderful film about a man who is beaten up shortly after arriving in Helsinki. He has complete amnesia. It's about him inventing a new life, as he figures out who he was.At turns it's: deep, brooding, funny (Finns have a great sense of humor), romantic and sad. It was nominated for an Oscar for best foreign language film the year it was released. And you'll know why when you watch it. It's a gem.One caveat: Aki Kaurismaki has a very keen social conscience. He's very concerned about Finland being a land of the haves and have nots. This film is all about the lives of the have nots, which exist in any metropolitan area. It's won't inspire you to visit Helsinki. Watch travel films for that. Helsinki is a very lovely city.

This film illustrates what I love best about being half finnish myself. Life in Finland is slow, people are taciturn and barely able to communicate. This shows the difference of Finland from the rest of Western Society - AND Eastern society. I think the music shows the minor key tone of living in the Northern climate, where the brain slows down to a crawl and survival means staying warm and dry against the odds. Knowing Finns as I have, I can understand why this movie is funny to them. Life plays out slowly and on a wave of timing that is unique. But they still manage to do the right thing - work, take care of each other and even fall in love.

It's a fine artistic movie that has a real down-to-earth feel.I have a habit loading up on caffeine before watching a show to "up" my attentiveness in hopes to get more out of a flick, but doing so before this particular piece left me feeling antsy. It has a pace that's good to watch after sitting on the pier all day watching the ships roll out and then watching them roll back in again.Skip the Starbucks, eat your popcorn with a caffiene-free soda, and be sure not to be in a rush to go anywhere after the show and I'm sure you'll find this DVD rather enjoyable.

Enjoyed this movie about Finnish people. I liked listening to the language which is so unfamiliar. I think it is a story about community and discovering oneself, maybe becoming a person more open to those around them. The description sounds like there is some horrible violence but it was not graphically pictured. The movie doesn't take itself too seriously and that is part of its charm. The soundtrack is great and the actors project a lot of character.

Finnish movie. We analyzed it in my Scandinavian cinema class in college and that didn't even ruin it! Finns have a dry sense of humor compared to Americans. I watched it with subtitles and thought it was hilarious. Most of my class loved it.

This is my favorite Aki Kaurismaki film--which is saying a lot for a director of this justified stature and with such a large magnificent output. After being robbed, beaten and left for dead in a shanty town of oppressed workers, the hero of the movie is unwillingly deprogrammed of his lackluster bourgeois identity and left with amnesia. This memory loss ultimately proves a mercy by forcing him to find his true self and reunite with mankind. Kaurismaki is adept a blending Marx and Kafka. The resurrection at the end of this film is one that I believe must happen in austerity-crushed Europe and America or we are all doomed. Movies just don't get any more legitimately hopeful than this. You will be inspired by this, dare I use the word, "masterpiece."

Beautiful...the amount of thought that goes into each scene is incredible. I'd like to think Finland really looks like this, but I fear I'll be sadly disappointed if ever I go there expecting to sit in a bar from the Soviet era drinking moonshine from a scratched shot glass while a lo-fi rock n' roll band plays in the background. Oh well...there's always Lithuania.

Excellent

Very good, hopefully they have more Finnish movies

A great understated film. If you're looking for a fast pace shoot them up film, you'll be disappointed. If you want to see how to meet adversity, you'll love it.