Winner of the Jury Prize at the recent Cannes Film Festival, Aki Kaurismak’s new film, Dead Leaves, opens in theaters today. Very well received by the French press, this funny and moving fable that brilliantly combines romance and social reflection has an average of 4.1/5 (out of 27 reviews*).
A habit for a filmmaker with his inimitable style, as several of his feature films in the past have garnered particularly laudable reviews (we’re thinking of The Man Without a Past , among others, and its impressive 4.8/5 average).
What are you doing?
Two lonely people meet by chance one night in Helsinki and each tries to find in the other their first, only and last love. But life presents obstacles to those who seek happiness.
What does the press think?
According to Le Parisien:
“This unique film, funny and exciting, cleans all the favorite things of its author: shady bars with exotic names, tragic songs, industrial poetry, desperate love stories, stray dogs… But what a wonder!” (era) 5/5
According to Liberation:
“Les Feuilles Mortes”, the Jury Prize at Cannes 2023, is not Aki Kaurismak’s best film. Actually it’s much better. This is a film that succeeds, in a very short time, with a small touch, to say it all. , to fill it all up”. (try Jimmy Batista) 5/5
Cinema releases on September 20: Acid, The Golden Butterflies Tree, La Petite…
According to L’Obs:
“Kaurismak’s films, a great admirer of the silent film, able to recycle the same motifs every time to get to the essence, with this extreme poetry that allows him to reach the luminous purity of the sonata.” (Sophie Grassini) 4/5
According to Le Croix:
“Melancholic and funny, nostalgic and political, the film expresses polite despair in the face of world suffering.” (Stephan Dreyfus) 4/5
According to Le Figaro:
Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki creates an incredible and concise romance in the pale Helsinki. (Eric Neuhoff) 4/5
According to Les Inrockuptibles:
“His films seem like nothing, simple, light, easy, but in fact they are precise mechanics, with great mastery of space! Ignoring him would be a big mistake.” (Jean-Baptiste Morin) 4/5
According to Télérama:
“More honest than ever, The Finn presents a faithful ode to fortitude.” (Frederick Strauss) 4/5
According to aVoir-aLire.com:
“In the inimitable and very personal style for which he is known, Kaurismäk paints a caustic, tender and humorous portrait of the Finnish working class in the context of inflation and the war in Ukraine. A very enjoyable film of the moment.” (Laurent Cambon) 4/5
Aki Kaurismaki: “Offering a future for humanity” is Dead Leaves’ ambition to see in cinema.
According to the Prime Minister:
“The deliberately static staging imposes its tension by inhabiting it uneasily and looking for a point of support. Indeed Chaplin rises from the dead. Here he has the face of a lost dog without a collar, bearing a famous surname. Aki or tender bias.” (Thomas Baura) 3/5
According to Critikat.com:
“We could appreciate the precision of this writing if the penchant for rigidity did not testify to a deeper, deadly relationship with cinema and the living in general.” (Jean-Sebastian Massar) 2/5
* On AlloCiné as of September 20, 2023.
Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
