The Man without a Past

The Man without a Past (Mies Vailla Menneisyyttä), 2002
35mm, Color, 97’

Markku Peltola, one of Kaurismäki’s charismatic actors, stars in the second installment of the Looser Trilogy. The Man without a Past was nominated for the Academy Awards and won the Grand Prix at Cannes where it earned Kati Outinen the award for Best Actress. Set in a colorful micro-society established by homeless people living by the port, the film is about a man who loses his memory after being mugged and is nursed back to life by the homeless. Traveling through Kaurismäki’s own poetic wonderland the film offers us a cross section about a time that has never been and will never be. With its down-and-out cast, sparse dialogue, and sly humor The Man without a Past is as touching as it is entertaining!