Romantic, funny and tragic, ‘Autumn Leaves’ warms up a barren Helsinki

Loop (Alma Pöysti) and Holappa (Jussi Vatanen) live the same routine: they both find no pleasure in the obligations established by capitalism. Despite apparently being lonely, they have friends with whom they can spend the night at karaoke. It’s in front of a stage — reminiscent of the performances at the bar. Twin Peaks — that the characters know each other.

They face each other in a restrained way and seem to share the same feeling about the world — they know something that no one else knows, not even the viewer. Therefore, even though they are almost inexpressive, Ansa and Holappa manage to make it clear to each other that a romance is taking place. It is almost inconceivable, for example, that the budding couple could have had as much fun as they say watching the The Dead Don’t Die (2019).

The director of the feature film starring Adam Driver,Tilda Swinton It is Bill Murray — Jim Jarmusch — is an influence on the Finnish Aki Kaurismäkiwho directs Autumn leaves. The film, the launch of a partnership between MUBI and O2 Play, arrived in cinemas this Thursday, November 30th.

Just like in La La Land (2016), the narrative of Autumn leaves it doesn’t make a point of such obvious visual time markers. In fact, it is possible to say that chronology is less important than the vibrant colors (which convey comfort in the cold) of the most recent work by Kaurismäki. When she is alone at home, Ansa listens to music and news on a radio. This is how we discover the progress of the war between Russia and Ukraine, which began in 2022.

Finland, where the film takes place, borders Russia and, therefore, the war in Eastern Europe has another weight for Ansa. The environment in which she lives, from her house to the streets of Helsinki, is sterile. This becomes even clearer when she loses her job at the market because she was carrying food that was supposed to be discarded, after its expiration date, in her bag. The complaint comes from an executioner security guard who probably has more power than her in the hierarchy of that establishment, but is not part of a different social layer.

Holappa also loses his construction job, but the reason is alcohol. As a drunk, he has no chance with Ansa, who collects trauma related to addiction. “Ansa” means “trap” in Finnish, while Holappa is also a surname of Pentti, famous poet from Finland. There is nothing, however, declaratively behind these signs. The fate of the couple and the arrival of the dog that appears in the film’s posters are discoveries that remain for those who visit the cinema.

In the end, it is a romantic comedy in terms of Kaurismäki. Therefore, it is worth experiencing the filmmaker’s work to learn about the protest and feelings in silence of such unique and, at the same time, familiar characters.