Only 81 minutes long, the film was nominated for two Golden Globes and has a 97% Rotten Tomatoes score.
Fallen Leaves, a wonderful romantic comedy-drama from Finnish writer-director Aki Kaurismäki (Le Havre, The Match Factory Girl), is airing on TV tonight (Saturday, 8 August).
Released in cinemas in 2023, the movie is set in modern-day Helsinki. The story follows Ansa (Alma Pöysti), a woman who works on a zero-hour contract at a supermarket stacking shelves, and Holappa (Jussi Vatanen), a man who is a sandblaster on a construction site.
Both lonely and depressed, the pair meet by chance in a local karaoke bar, where they instantly take a shine to one another. The pair’s courtship, however, is beset by numerous obstacles, including lost phone numbers, workplace problems, and lifestyle clashes.
Though only 81 minutes long and telling a simple ‘will they, won’t they’ story, Fallen Leaves is unforgettable.
Watch the trailer for Fallen Leaves right here:
You rarely see working-class people and their struggles captured with such care and sympathy on screen. It’s a tale of two souls worn down by the world, whose unexpected romance reminds them of life’s pleasures.
That said, the film – unlike many of its Hollywood counterparts – is also about how life is rarely tidy and that love isn’t without its challenges.
Directed and acted in a way that finds a dry humour in the mundane and melancholy, Fallen Leaves proved to be a real crowdpleaser.
Not only was it a box office hit, but the comedy-drama was also nominated for two Golden Globes: Best Picture – Non-English Language and Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical for Alma Pöysti.
Fallen Leaves is airing on TV tonight/tomorrow morning on BBC Two at 12.50am. It’s also available to stream on the service Mubi.
For JOE’s list of the other movies on TV tonight, see here.