The Man Without a Past
Movie · Drama · Comedy

A delirious mixture of black comedy, film noir and love story, from acclaimed Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki. Rapturously received 'The Man Without a Past' triumphed at the 2002 Cannes film festival, carrying off multiple awards including Best Actress and the Grand Jury Prize. Markku Peltola plays 'M', who arrives in Helsinki only to be viciously set upon by thugs and pronounced dead by medics. By some miracle he survives but with no memory of his past or his identity. Rebuilding his life from scratch, M acquires a melancholy dog (a recurring Kaurismäki motif) named Hannibal and falls in love with a Salvation Army soup kitchen volunteer (the muse-like Kati Outinen). But the past inevitably catches up with him, forcing him to confront his future.

2003 · 1h 37m
  • 98%
Starring Markku Peltola, Kati Outinen, Kaija Pakarinen
Director Aki Kaurismäki

Trailers

  • The Man Without a Past
    Drama

Related

Cast & Crew

  • Markku Peltola
    M
  • Kati Outinen
    Irma
  • Kaija Pakarinen
    Kaisa Nieminen
  • Outi Mäenpää
    Bank Clerk
  • Janne Hyytiäinen
    Ovaskainen
  • Antti Reini
    Electrician
  • J‌N
    Juhani Niemelä
    Nieminen
  • Sakari Kuosmanen
    Anttila
  • A‌T
    Annikki Tähti
    Manager of Flea Market
  • A‌S
    Anneli Sauli
    Bar Owner
  • E‌S
    Elina Salo
    Dock Clerk

About

The Man Without a Past

Drama

A delirious mixture of black comedy, film noir and love story, from acclaimed Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki. Rapturously received 'The Man Without a Past' triumphed at the 2002 Cannes film festival, carrying off multiple awards including Best Actress and the Grand Jury Prize. Markku Peltola plays 'M', who arrives in Helsinki only to be viciously set upon by thugs and pronounced dead by medics. By some miracle he survives but with no memory of his past or his identity. Rebuilding his life from scratch, M acquires a melancholy dog (a recurring Kaurismäki motif) named Hannibal and falls in love with a Salvation Army soup kitchen volunteer (the muse-like Kati Outinen). But the past inevitably catches up with him, forcing him to confront his future.

98%

TOMATOMETER
Average 8
Reviews 97
Fresh 95
Rotten 2

Information

Studio
Curzon Artificial Eye
Released
2003
Run Time
1 hr 37 min
Rated
Unrated
Regions of Origin
Finland, Germany, France
© 2017 Curzon Artificial Eye

Languages

Original Audio
Finnish, Finnish (Finland), English (United States)
Audio

Finnish (AAC)

Subtitles

English (United Kingdom)

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Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

  • Armenia
  • Azerbaijan
  • Bahrain
  • Botswana
  • Brunei Darussalam
  • Cape Verde
  • Egypt
  • Eswatini
  • Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • India
  • Israel
  • Jordan
  • Lebanon
  • Mauritius
  • Mozambique
  • Namibia
  • Niger (English)
  • Oman
  • Qatar
  • Saudi Arabia
  • South Africa
  • Sri Lanka
  • Tajikistan
  • Turkmenistan
  • Uganda
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Zimbabwe

Asia Pacific

  • Australia
  • Cambodia
  • Fiji
  • 香港 (廣東話–繁體)
  • Indonesia (English)
  • 日本
  • Lao People's Democratic Republic
  • 澳門 (廣東話–繁體)
  • Malaysia (English)
  • Micronesia, Federated States of
  • Mongolia
  • New Zealand
  • Philippines
  • Singapore
  • 대한민국
  • 台灣
  • Thailand
  • Turkmenistan
  • Vietnam

Europe

  • Armenia
  • Österreich
  • Belarus
  • Belgium
  • Bulgaria
  • Cyprus
  • Czechia
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France (Français)
  • Deutschland
  • Greece
  • Hungary
  • Ireland
  • Italia
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg (English)
  • Malta
  • Moldova, Republic Of
  • Nederland
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal (Português)
  • Россия
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • España
  • Sverige
  • Schweiz
  • Türkiye (English)
  • Ukraine
  • United Kingdom

Latin America and the Caribbean

  • Anguilla
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Argentina (Español)
  • Bahamas
  • Belize
  • Bermuda
  • Bolivia (Español)
  • Brasil
  • Virgin Islands, British
  • Cayman Islands
  • Chile (Español)
  • Colombia (Español)
  • Costa Rica (Español)
  • Dominica
  • República Dominicana
  • Ecuador (Español)
  • El Salvador (Español)
  • Grenada
  • Guatemala (Español)
  • Honduras (Español)
  • México
  • Nicaragua (Español)
  • Panamá
  • Paraguay (Español)
  • Perú
  • St. Kitts and Nevis
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Venezuela (Español)

The United States and Canada

  • Canada (English)
  • Canada (Français)
  • United States
  • Estados Unidos (Español México)