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The Man Without a Past

Original title: Mies vailla menneisyyttä · Turkish title: Geçmişi olmayan adam
2002 · 1 h 37 min
Directed by Aki Kaurismäki
ComedyDramaRomance

Cast

Markku Peltola Kati Outinen Juhani Niemelä

Credits

Written by: Aki Kaurismäki

Plot

A man arrives in Helsinki by train, is beaten up and left for dead, and loses his memory. He starts a new life among the poor, living in a container, and falls in love with a Salvation Army worker, Irma, while his old identity remains a mystery. Aki Kaurismäki's 2002 film, a deadpan, tender comedy, won the Grand Prix at Cannes and was nominated for an Academy Award.

Sinekatalog’s take

Aki Kaurismäki's deadpan comedy about an amnesiac starting over among Helsinki's poor is warm and oddly funny. Its tiny gestures, rock songs and kindness make a gentle, quietly moving film.Sinekatalog’s own editorial review – not a user or critic quote.

Ratings

IMDb: 7.6 / 10 (29,357 votes)
IMDb rating and vote count from the IMDb ratings dataset (October 2026). Scores change over time.

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