The Man Without a Past: a humanist and delicate drama, Aki Kaurismäki’s film tells the story of a man who is attacked upon arriving in Helsinki and loses his memory. The attack may have taken his past and his present, but he is not likely to let it take away his future. The tone is the director’s signature deadpan, but the emotions are strong enough to surface without the accentuation, and the dialogue is wonderfully stylized. Markku Peltola plays the nameless, resilient man; Kati Outinen plays an equally lonely Salvation Army woman whom he meets along the way. Their expressiveness is subtle, but ever-present. Cinematographer Timo Salminen’s camerawork is always elegant; editor Timo Linnasalo keeps the film tight, with lovely rhythm. Art director Markku Pätilä creates an impoverished environment that is, nevertheless, colourful and warm.

The short film Tavern Man doesn’t really accompany the feature, except by coincidence and convenience. Kaurismäki’s dialogue-free film depicts a day in the life of a tavern man in the charming town of Guimarães. Stone-faced Ilkka Koivula is superb as the man. The diegetic use of Portuguese songs reinforces the story’s quiet melancholy.