Seeking Mavis Beacon
$10.50
Dir. Aki Kaurismäki
2023, Finland, Germany, 82 min
Finnish with English subtitles
Fallen Leaves tells the story of two lonely people who meet each other by chance in the Helsinki night and try to find the first, only, and ultimate love of their lives. Their path towards this honourable goal is clouded by the man’s alcoholism, lost phone numbers, not knowing each other’s names or addresses, and life’s general tendency to place obstacles in the way of those seeking their happiness.
“Fallen Leaves may be endowed with the spirit of a fable and the romantic sweep of a Sirkian melodrama, but its faith in our ability to find light in the darkness never feels the least bit false or naive.” – David Ehrlich, indieWire
“It’s a wonderful film with not an ounce of fat on the bone, and Kaurismäki still managed to thread the needle between a style of ironic detachment and emotions that are big, bold and instantly affecting.” – David Jenkins, Little White Lies