I have a confession. I was not familiar with the work of Aki Kaurismäki, a Finnish director of legendary status. I certainly am now, as his 40th feature ‘Fallen Leaves‘ comes to UK cinemas in December (thanks to the wonderful folk over at MUBI).

Fallen Leaves is set in modern-day Helsinki, where Ansa and Holappa, two lonely souls in search of their first love, meet by chance in a local karaoke bar. In a bizarre comedy-drama, the pair encounter numerous obstacles in their path to love —from lost phone numbers to mistaken addresses, alcoholism, and a charming stray dog.

I got to speak to the two lead stars from the film, Alma Pöysti (who we can fairly declare has owned 2023), and Jussi Vatanen, to discuss working with the director and their roles in the film.

When asking about the director, Alma is first to describe his work: “He is a very unique director in every sense of the word. When he creates a film it is from scratch – he is so fantastic in telling his stories visually. So if you don’t know his work I can almost congratulate you – as you have a wonderful journey of discovery ahead”.

Jussi explains how he was very familiar with the director’s work due to how well known he is in Finland, “He has had such a strong influence on the culture in cinema”.

His character, Holappa, is a very solitary individual, almost like a lone wolf, who chain smokes and stares into the distance either deep in thought or totally disconnected from the people around him.

“He has a lot of elements going on with his life; there is his work, and he lives in a small caravan, and then there is the alcohol which is his very loyal friend“, says Jussi.

Holappa seems to be very happy in this solitary world that he has built around him – to the best part he seems to be happy and then something happens when he meets a lovely lady.

“It is terrible because now he has this idea that perhaps life hasn’t offered everything to him yet and that now he has something that he should pursue. Its a game changing moment for him“, says Jussi of his character.

The lady who turns Holappa’s world upside down is Alma’s character, Ansa. The pair first lock eyes with each other at a karaoke bar.

It is quite a cold world that we find the pair living in. Working on minimum wage on zero hour contracts and being treated very badly.

Ansa’s world shares some similarities with Holappa’s:

“There is a theme you might pick up on, with objects being past their dates, and in a way Ansa feels a bit past her due date – she isn’t 17 anymore and where she comes from she has had a terrible upbringing where alcohol has torn apart her family“, Alma explains.

So, when Ansa meets Holappa, she finds it very difficult for her to trust love, and his drinking triggers her past trauma.

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The friends they do have around them are very loyal and stick by their side bringing a strong feeling of compassion and companionship which counters this cold world they find themselves in.

The scenes between Holappa and his only real friend, a man he drinks in the pubs and clubs with, are some of the funniest deadpan dialogue that are an absolute joy to watch.

There are also a lot of scenes where the characters are not speaking and the film itself has many moments of the characters slipping into quiet reflection.

“I think it is part of Aki’s style, he is such a master in portraying these sorts of people“, Jussi explains. “The less they speak the more an audience must observe them and in doing so, begin to feel closer to them“.

Alma adds that a lot of it is to do with the Finnish silence. This refers to how silence is a valued part of Finnish culture; they don’t like to make small talk or have unnecessary conversations. Unlike in British culture, where talking about the weather or topical news stories can help people to get to know one another, silence is a sign of respect and politeness in Finland.

“Silence is the most powerful way of sharing a special moment together – it might be a bit intense for other cultures. Aki is telling us a fairytale and he cherishes the silence“.

Fans of Wes Andersen and his love of colours will certainly take note when watching Fallen Leaves as this is another vital part of the director’s storytelling.

“Everything is very meaningful and thought through. The colour red is one example – a theme that signifies how things might be panning out for one of our characters. Other colours appear that act like secret codes to what is happening in their lives.”

Alma points to the blue wall colour she can see behind me on our zoom call, “I think this colour will work well in one of his films!“

Then there is the timeline – what world are we actually seeing Holappa and Ansa in?

“He is playing around with the timeline – there is music from different eras, people are using old phones and there is a certain style and fashion too“, says Jussi.

To confuse you even more the radio gives updates on the war in Ukraine whilst at one point a calendar can be spotted on a wall telling us its 2024. This is all part of the director’s fairytale and fantasy by making you unsure where and when it is all taking place.

“He really is messing with us“, adds Alma.

In another carefully crafted section, those of you who might have watched the brilliant Finnish documentary Karaoke Paradise will spot one of the film’s main subjects – the lady behind organising the karaoke nights – is at the bar where the pair first become aware of each other.

“Well spotted Alex!” Alma proclaims. “That’s the thing about Aki, everything is thought out“.

Along with the directors’ style that make this film great, so do the stars themselves. Alma Pöysti first came to our attention in the wonderful Tove and has since been in Fares Fares’s A Day and A Half and Selma Vilhunen’s Four Little Adults which we hope to see a release next year. Her chemistry and pairing with the equally excellent Jussi Vatanen (who some will recognise from the brilliant BBC Four series – The Man in Room 301) is a joy to watch.

Fallen Leaves is an experience as much as it is a story to be told and watched. Those unfamiliar with the director’s work will discover a new world to get immersed in – there will be plenty of films to watch from his 40-year career!

Fallen Leaves is a wonderful experience soaked in moments of tragi-comedy and romance – it is both visually arresting and a musical joy in its eclectic soundtrack – something we are sure was all part of the director’s plan.

Catch the film on MUBI from 1st December 2023.