The Man Without a Past

2002 1h 37m FI

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 467

DramaRomance

Synopsis

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Arriving in Helsinki, a nameless man is beaten within an inch of his life by thugs, miraculously recovering only to find that he has completely lost his memory. Back on the streets, he attempts to begin again from zero, befriending a moody dog and becoming besotted with a Salvation Army volunteer.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Markku Peltola
M
Kati Outinen
Irma
Juhani Niemelä
Nieminen
Kaija Pakarinen
Kaisa Nieminen
Sakari Kuosmanen
Anttila
Annikki Tähti
Manager of Flea Market
Anneli Sauli
Bar Owner
Elina Salo
Dock Clerk

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Aki Kaurismäki
Writers: Aki Kaurismäki
Languages: Finnish
Countries: Finland, France, Germany

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

ERA

Did you know

Released 24 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Finland, France, Germany.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Aki Kaurismäki, shot by Timo Salminen. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Timo Linnasalo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Markku Peltola and Kati Outinen and Juhani Niemelä carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0311519 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Aki Kaurismäki directs. Timo Salminen behind the camera. Timo Linnasalo cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Finland, France, Germany. Dialogue in Finnish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 24 years ago.
2International production across 3 countries: Finland, France, Germany.
3Directed by Aki Kaurismäki, shot by Timo Salminen. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Editor Timo Linnasalo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Markku Peltola and Kati Outinen and Juhani Niemelä carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0311519 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Released under 10 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Timo Salminen
Editing: Timo Linnasalo
Production design: Markku Pätilä
Costume design: Outi Harjupatana
Makeup / hair: Nadja Delcos
Sound: Olli Pärnänen
Runtime: 97 min · 1h 37m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $921
Original language: FI
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: The Man Without a Past (2002)

Awards

Jussi Award for Best Leading Actress
Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix
Nordic Council Film Prize

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Aki Kaurismäki

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-05-18
★ 7/10
Probably not since Wendy Hiller in "Major Barbara" (1941) has the Salvation Army featured so prominently in a drama. That's lucky as a visitor (Markku Peltola) to Helsinki arrives and is promptly beaten to near death by three hoodlums. He manages to stumble to the railway station and next thing the machine in the hospital says he is dead. Well, he's not that easy to kill and next thing he is wandering about, bandaged and with a different pair of shoes trying to find a place to stay. He has no memory of anything, just a load of broken bones and bruises. He has no money either, and finds himself in the vicious circle of no ID, no help. That's where "Irma" (Kati Outinen) comes in. She works for the aforementioned charity and takes pity on his plight. She manages to get him some clothes and finding, thanks to security guard "Anttila" (Sakari Kuosmanen,) what looks like a converted storage container to live in, he begins to rebuild his life in a gritty and unforgiving city. His relationship with "Irma" strengthens and maybe he has turned a corner? An incident that brings him to the attention of the cops delivers him an unexpected degree of closure for his past life, but will it help? Peltola is on good form here and his characterisation of the man lost in a strange world, but not bamboozled by it, is strong and quite engaging - especially when the hint of gentle romance creeps in with the equally robust character of 'Irma" who has seen a great deal in her charitable role. I probably shouldn't have, but I did rather like the denouement. It offers us a bit of hope and a bit of retribution and there's some very dark comedy along the way.

Production companies