Fallen Leaves (Kuolleet lehdet - 2023)

Yes, it's slow, it's in Finnish with subtitles, and my Finnish friend Maija didn't like it, but I enjoyed the cringey dry humor in this story of two lonely people, one a woman diligently working hand to mouth and the other a blue collar worker who repeatedly gets fired because of his drinking. Not for everyone, but the movie has eight wins, including the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes, and fifty other nominations.

Alma Pöysti and Jussi Vatenen play the introverted leads who don't talk to each other much, but each has a confidante so we know what they're thinking. Aki Kaurismäki directs from his original script.

No composer is credited. The songs range from karaoke (they meet at a karaoke bar) to classical to pop to traditional and more. In one scene they go to a theatre and watch the zombie comedy The Dead Don’t Die.

Cinematographer Timo Salminen provides the photography ranging from drab to lush.

Kaurismäki was last blogged for Le Havre and the others are new to me.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics are falling for this (as I did) with a 97% average, but its audiences (like Maija) are not, at 58. I rented it on Apple TV/iTunes on February 16.

Le Havre (2011)

Jack and I liked this story of an old shoe-shiner taking in a young African refugee in the French coastal town of the title. Finnish director/writer Aki Kaurismäki (I loved The Man Without a Past (2002) and would like to see more after reading this) combines droll wit and drama as 60-something Marcel, played by André Wilms (a Frenchman with 61 titles to his credit, he has worked with Kaurismäki five times before) hides ten-year-old Idrissa (Blondin Miguel, in his film debut) from the authorities. Finnish actress Kati Outinen (as soon as she spoke her first sentence I could tell that French wasn't her first language) is another Kaurismäki regular, and her deadpan delivery is quite good.

In a sly nod to French cinema, Jean-Pierre Léaud, best known as Antoine Doinel in The 400 Blows (1959) and five other movies also directed by the iconic François Truffaut, has a cameo. Since we saw this movie two and a half weeks ago, it has grown on me. As usual imdb hasn't provided any soundtrack info, nor does the press kit, but what I do remember of the music is the appearance of a blues musician named "Little Bob" (AKA Roberto Piazza), who apparently is famous around Le Havre. This was Finland's official submission for the Foreign-Language Oscars, but it didn't make it, though the National Board of Review named it one of their top five Foreign Language Films and it was nominated for a Critics' Choice Award. It has a 98% fresh rating from critics on rottentomatoes, with 75% from audiences. The DVD release isn't set yet, but it will be good for a giggle whenever you can see it.