By John Corrado

★★★½ (out of 4)

The 2023 Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 7th to 17th, more information on tickets and showtimes can be found right here.

In his twentieth feature Fallen Leaves, Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki crafts a gently humorous and very heartfelt film that has the feel of a classic screen romance, complete with a number of delightful cinematic nods. The result is an absolutely wonderful little film that is both short and sweet, packing a lot into a beautifully paced 81 minutes.

Set in Helsinki, Kaurismäki’s latest – which is fashioned as somewhat of a belated followup to his Proletariat Trilogy from a few decades ago – follows two lonely working class souls searching for each other, and waiting for the right time to be together. Ansa (Alma Pöysti) works at a grocery store, but is getting in trouble for taking home the expired food that she is supposed to throw out. Holappa (Jussi Vatanen) works in construction, but drinks on the job (his depression fuels his drinking, he explains, and his drinking fuels his depression).

Ansa and Holappa have their “meet cute” moment when they are each dragged to the karaoke bar by their respective co-workers. A movie theatre date deepens their connection, but the star-crossed couple also faces barriers to being together. At times, Fallen Leaves feels like an arthouse take on the romantic comedy (an “elevated rom-com,” if you will). Kaurismäki infuses his film with deadpan humour and amusing sight gags, but also a backdrop of heartache and pain.

Ansa listens to news reports on the radio about the tragic current situation in Ukraine, worried about Russian expansionism along the border their countries share. Despite this awareness of current events, the film’s characters almost exist out of time like they have fallen out of the 1960s, a very effective juxtaposition that makes watching Fallen Leaves feel like rediscovering a lost classic.

This carries through to the rock ‘n roll soundtrack (including the poignant use of a translated cover of the late Gordon Lightfoot’s “Early Morning Rain”). We root for these characters to be together through their ups and downs, and watching them fall for each other is cinematic euphoria that is infused with a love of classic movies, right through to the wonderful little button at the end.

Public Screenings: Sunday, September 10th, 12:15 PM at Scotiabank Theatre; Saturday, September 16th, 5:30 PM at TIFF Bell Lightbox; Sunday, September 17th, 12:15 PM at Scotiabank Theatre