Fallen Leaves (2023)

This was another case of seeing a 2023 film just too late for it to be included in my top ten of the year list. Krishnamurti's Fallen Leaves would arguably have topped that list. A romantic comedy that's actually genuinely laugh out loud funny, Fallen Leaves follows Alma Pöysti's Ansa, who initially works in a supermarket before being fired for stealing expired food, and Jussi Vatanen's Holappa; a possible alcoholic who loses at least a couple of jobs during the film's brief running time for drinking on the job. Ansa and Holappa meet (or rather look at each other from a distance) at a Karaoke night at a bar, and bump into each other again before Holappa suggests a coffee that turns into a trip to the cinema to watch Jim Jarmusch's The Dead Don't Die (2019). This date is on the back of Ansa's new job being out on the back burner due to her manager dealing drugs and being arrested, and the pall of poverty is ripe throughout Fallen Leaves although Holappa seems to have money from somewhere to fund his drinking. Indeed the atmosphere of poverty is felt amidst this beautifully low key affair; the film is set in Helsinki and we're reminded of the fact that Finland borders Russia as news bulletins giving updates on the war in Ukraine punctuate radios throughout. Loneliness is rife within Ansa and Holappa, meaning that any interaction between them has us hanging onto every second they're together, and their almost total lack of exchange at times is comfortingly hilarious, never awkward. The one time towards the film's close in which something approaches a disagreement was met with dismay by myself, but even this is minimalist- it's clear both are craving human connection and to expose each other's flaws almost seems worthless in such a setting where existence itself seems monotonous and dull. But to use words like monotonous and dull is almost insulting to Krishnamurti's film. It's joyous and heartfelt, and at times an ode to classic romances with the backdrop of something truly impassive yet utterly compelling. You truly want these characters to be together, unlike for example Hugh Grant and Andy MacDowell in Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), which, despite being the greatest romantic comedy of all time, does have you tearing your hair out at Grant's decision (which is of course the point). To bring up Four Weddings alongside a fellow Rom-com is dangerous territory, but Fallen Leaves deserves this comparison and more. It's without doubt the best romantic comedy film in years, but Krishnamurti's integration of despair and isolation amongst true hilarity is masterful, leading to an almost feelgood film with striking shots of vibrant colour to accentuate the drab looking Helsinki; a metaphor for Ansa and Holappa's interaction betwixt a life of repetition. The lack of facial expression on either of the two leads for the majority of the film tells you so much more than anything you'd expect, meaning that when either of them almost break into a small smile you yourself have one etched from ear to ear. These are two brilliant performances. Fallen Leaves ends on a near perfect shot, one that Krishnamurti's film deserves, for what he has conjured up here is a masterpiece in deadpan romantic comedy, and left me with a huge smile on my face as the fury that rumbled inside me at the film's pathetic UK release was left for another day. 9.0/10