The Man Without a Past
Encyclopedia
The Man Without a Past is a 2002
Finnish comedy
-drama
film directed by Aki Kaurismäki
and starring Markku Peltola
, Kati Outinen
and Juhani Niemelä. It is the second installment in Kaurismäki's Finland trilogy, the other two films being Drifting Clouds
(1996) and Lights in the Dusk (2006). The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
in 2002 and won the Grand Prix
at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival
.
. After falling asleep in Kaisaniemi park
, he is mugged and beaten by hoodlums and is severely injured in the head, losing consciousness. He awakes and wanders back to the train station and collapses in its bathroom. He awakes the second time in a hospital and finds that he has lost his memory. He starts his life from scratch, living in container dwellings, finding clothes with help from the Salvation Army
and making friends with the poor.
and Pandora Filmproduktion and the French company Pyramide Productions.
aggregate review website has registered a rating of 98% while Metacritic
, registered a rating of 84 which, according to the website's rating criteria, classifies the reception of the film as Universal acclaim. Film critic Roger Ebert
awarded the film 3½ stars out of 4 claiming he "felt a deep but indefinable contentment" while Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter
opined that the film "contains not one false note. It is the work of an artist fully in control of his art." Barbara Scharres of the Chicago Reader states "Kaurismaki perfects his trademark formula of deadpan humor and arctic circle pathos in this brilliantly ironic 2002 comedy."
2002 in film
The year 2002 in film involved some significant events. The first significant releases of sequels took place between The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Men in Black II, Analyze That, Spy Kids 2: The Island of...
Finnish comedy
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
-drama
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
film directed by Aki Kaurismäki
Aki Kaurismäki
-Career:After studying Media Studies at the University of Tampere, Aki Kaurismäki started his career as a co-director in the films of his elder brother Mika Kaurismäki. His debut as an independent director was Crime and Punishment , Dostoyevsky's famous crime story set in modern-day Helsinki...
and starring Markku Peltola
Markku Peltola
Markku Peltola was a Finnish actor and musician. He was born in Helsinki and grew up there. He was actively involved in founding and acting with the Telakka Theater in Tampere....
, Kati Outinen
Kati Outinen
Anna Katriina Outinen is a Finnish actress who has often played leading female roles in Aki Kaurismäki's films.Outinen was born in Helsinki. Having studied under Jouko Turkka during his "reign" of drama studies in Finland, she nevertheless has never been associated with the "turkkalaisuus" school...
and Juhani Niemelä. It is the second installment in Kaurismäki's Finland trilogy, the other two films being Drifting Clouds
Drifting Clouds (film)
Drifting Clouds is a 1996 Finnish film directed by Aki Kaurismäki and starring Kati Outinen, Kari Väänänen and Markku Peltola. The film is the first in Kaurismäki's Finland trilogy, the other 2 films being The Man Without a Past and Lights in the Dusk.- Plot :Ilona Koponen , a head waitress at...
(1996) and Lights in the Dusk (2006). The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
in 2002 and won the Grand Prix
Grand Prix (Cannes Film Festival)
The Grand Prix is an award of the Cannes Film Festival bestowed by the jury of the festival on one of the competing feature films. It is the second-most prestigious prize of the festival after the Palme d'Or...
at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival
2002 Cannes Film Festival
The 2002 Cannes Film Festival started on 15 May and ran until 26 May. The Palme d'Or went to the Polish-French-German-British co-produced film The Pianist directed by Roman Polanski.-Jury:* David Lynch * Sharon Stone* Michelle Yeoh...
.
Plot
The film begins with an unnamed man arriving by train to HelsinkiHelsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
. After falling asleep in Kaisaniemi park
Kaisaniemi Park
Kaisaniemi park is a popular park, in the center of Helsinki, in the region of Kluuvi.Part of the park was given to the University of Helsinki in 1829, for gardening...
, he is mugged and beaten by hoodlums and is severely injured in the head, losing consciousness. He awakes and wanders back to the train station and collapses in its bathroom. He awakes the second time in a hospital and finds that he has lost his memory. He starts his life from scratch, living in container dwellings, finding clothes with help from the Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
and making friends with the poor.
Cast
- Markku PeltolaMarkku PeltolaMarkku Peltola was a Finnish actor and musician. He was born in Helsinki and grew up there. He was actively involved in founding and acting with the Telakka Theater in Tampere....
as M - Kati OutinenKati OutinenAnna Katriina Outinen is a Finnish actress who has often played leading female roles in Aki Kaurismäki's films.Outinen was born in Helsinki. Having studied under Jouko Turkka during his "reign" of drama studies in Finland, she nevertheless has never been associated with the "turkkalaisuus" school...
as Irma - Juhani Niemelä as Nieminen
- Kaija Pakarinen as Kaisa Nieminen
- Sakari KuosmanenSakari KuosmanenSakari Jyrki Kuosmanen is a Finnish singer and actor. He has recorded several solo albums and has also done work with Sleepy Sleepers and Leningrad Cowboys....
as Anttila - Annikki Tähti as Manager of Flea Market
- Anneli SauliAnneli SauliAnneli Sauli is a Finnish film actress. She has appeared in 42 films since 1953. She starred in the film Miriam, which was entered into the 8th Berlin International Film Festival.She was born in Pyhäjoki, Finland....
as Bar Owner - Elina SaloElina SaloElina Salo is a Finnish film, theatre and television actress who has also done work in radio as a voice actor in children’s programming. In her career that began in 1956, Salo has appeared in over 50 films and television shows but she is best known for her work in Aki Kaurismäki’s films. She has...
as Dock Clerk - Outi MäenpääOuti MäenpääOuti Mäenpää is a Finnish television actress.Mäenpää was born in Helsinki. She began her career in theatre as a stage actor between 1984 and 1988...
as Bank Clerk - Esko NikkariEsko NikkariEsko Nikkari was a prolific Finnish actor who made more than 70 appearances on film and television. He debuted in 1974 in the movie Karvat....
as Bank Robber - Pertti Sveholm as Police Detective
- Matti WuoriMatti WuoriMatti Ossian Wuori was a lawyer, Finnish politician and was a Member of the European Parliament for the Green League 1999–2004...
as himself (lawyer) - Aino Seppo as Ex-wife
- Janne Hyytiäinen as Ovaskainen
- Antti ReiniAntti Reini- Cinema :* Il Capitano: A Swedish Requiem * As White as in Snow * The Man Without a Past * Helmiä ja sikoja * Solstorm * Everlasting Moments * Stone's War * Angel - TV :...
as Electrician
Production
The Man Without a Past was co-produced by the Finnish companies Sputnik and YLE, the German companies Bavaria Film StudiosBavaria Film Studios
The Bavaria Film in Geiselgasteig, a district of Munich's suburb Grünwald, Bavaria belongs to one of Europe's biggest and most famous film production companies.- History :...
and Pandora Filmproduktion and the French company Pyramide Productions.
Critical reception
The film has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics. Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
aggregate review website has registered a rating of 98% while Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, registered a rating of 84 which, according to the website's rating criteria, classifies the reception of the film as Universal acclaim. Film critic Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
awarded the film 3½ stars out of 4 claiming he "felt a deep but indefinable contentment" while Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
opined that the film "contains not one false note. It is the work of an artist fully in control of his art." Barbara Scharres of the Chicago Reader states "Kaurismaki perfects his trademark formula of deadpan humor and arctic circle pathos in this brilliantly ironic 2002 comedy."
Awards and nominations
- ACCEC Awards
- Best Foreign Film (Kaurismäki, won)
- Academy Awards75th Academy AwardsThe 75th Academy Awards honored the best films of 2002, were held on March 23, 2003, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California. It was produced by Gil Cates and hosted for the second time by Steve Martin....
- Best Foreign Language FilmAcademy Award for Best Foreign Language FilmThe Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
(nominated)
- Best Foreign Language Film
- Argentinean Film Critics Association Awards
- Best Foreign Film (nominated)
- Bangkok International Film FestivalBangkok International Film FestivalThe Bangkok International Film Festival is an international film festival held annually in Bangkok, Thailand, since 2003. In addition to film screenings, seminars, gala events and the Golden Kinnaree Awards.-First years:...
- Best Actress (Outinen, won)
- Best Screenplay (Kaurismäki, won)
- Best Film (Kaurismäki, nominated)
- Bodil AwardsBodil AwardsThe Bodil Awards are the major Danish film awards given by Denmark's National Association of Film Critics . The awards are presented annually at a ceremony in the Imperial Cinema in Copenhagen. Established in 1948, it is one of the oldest film awards in Europe...
- Best Non-American Film (Kaurismäki, nominated)
- CamerimageCamerimageThe International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography CAMERIMAGE is a festival dedicated to cinematography and its creators cinematographers.The first seven events were held in Toruń, Poland. The next ten events were held in Łódź...
- Golden Frog (Salminen, nominated)
- Cannes Film Festival2002 Cannes Film FestivalThe 2002 Cannes Film Festival started on 15 May and ran until 26 May. The Palme d'Or went to the Polish-French-German-British co-produced film The Pianist directed by Roman Polanski.-Jury:* David Lynch * Sharon Stone* Michelle Yeoh...
- Best ActressBest Actress Award (Cannes Film Festival)The Best Actress Award is an award presented at the Cannes Film Festival. It is chosen by the jury from the 'official section' of films at the festival. It was first awarded in 1946.-Award Winners:-External links:* * ....
(Outinen, won) - Grand Prize of the JuryGrand Prix (Cannes Film Festival)The Grand Prix is an award of the Cannes Film Festival bestowed by the jury of the festival on one of the competing feature films. It is the second-most prestigious prize of the festival after the Palme d'Or...
(Kaurismäki, won) - Prize of the Ecumenical Jury (Kaurismäki, won)
- Golden Palm (Kaurismäki, nominated)
- Palm Dog (Tähti, won)
- Best Actress
- Chicago Film Critics Association Awards
- Best Foreign Language Film (nominated)
- Chlotrudis Awards
- Best Screenplay - Original (Kaurismäki, nominated)
- Cinema Writers Circle Awards, Spain
- Best Foreign Film (nominated)
- César Awards
- Best European Union Film (nominated)
- European Film Awards
- Audience Award - Best Director (Kaurismäki, nominated)
- Best Actor (Peltola, nominated)
- Best Actress (Outinen, nominated)
- Best Cinematographer (Salminen, nominated)
- Best Director (Kaurismäki, nominated)
- Best Film (Kaurismäki, nominated)
- Best Screenwriter (Kaurismäki, nominated)
- Fajr Film Festival
- International Competition - Best Screenplay (Kaurismäki, won)
- Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards
- Best Foreign-Language Film (nominated)
- Flanders International Film Festival
- Grand Prix (Kaurismäki, won)
- Guldbagge AwardGuldbagge AwardThe Guldbagge Award is an official Swedish film award awarded annually since 1964 by the Swedish Film Institute.-Etymology:Guldbagge is the Swedish name for Cetonia aurata, a beetle also known as rose chafer. The name of the award could also be interpreted as a play on the Swedish word skalbagge,...
s- Best Foreign Film (won)
- Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists
- Best Director - Foreign Film (Kaurismäki, nominated)
- Jussi Awards
- Best Film (won)
- Best Actress (Outinen, won)
- Best Cinematography (Salminen, won)
- Best Direction (Kaurismäki, won)
- Best Editing (Linnasalo, won)
- Best Script (Kaurismäki, won)
- Best Actor (Peltola, nominated)
- Lübeck Nordic Film Days
- Audience Prize (Kaurismäki, won)
- National Society of Film Critics Awards
- Best Foreign Language Film (won)
- Nordic CouncilNordic CouncilThe Nordic Council is a geo-political, inter-parliamentary forum for co-operation between the Nordic countries. It was established following World War II and its first concrete result was the introduction in 1952 of a common labour market and free movement across borders without passports for the...
- Nordic Council's Film Prize (Kaurismäki, won)
- Palm Springs International Film FestivalPalm Springs International Film FestivalPalm Springs International Film Festival is a film festival held in Palm Springs, California. It was started in 1989 and is held annually in January...
- FIPRESCI Prize (Kaurismäki, won)
- Robert Festival
- Best Non-American Film (Kaurismäki, nominated)
- San Sebastián International Film FestivalSan Sebastián International Film FestivalThe San Sebastián International Film Festival is an annual FIAPF A category film festival held in the Spanish city of San Sebastián .-History:The festival was founded in 1953...
- FIPRESCI Film of the Year (Kaurismäki, won)