From Finland, with love, Alma Puesti and Jussi Vatanen bring Fallen Leaves to Hollywood

Alma Puesti arrives at the 81st Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, January 7, 2024. One of the stars of Fallen Leaves, she and her co-star Jussi Vatanen are taking a whirlwind tour of America at the height of Hollywood’s awards season. .
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There are two types of cinephiles in the world: Aki Kaurismaki fans and future Aki Kaurismaki fans.

Alma Puesti and Jussi Vatanen, the Finnish stars of his latest work, the tragic romance “Fallen Leaves,” will meet them during their whirlwind tour of America at the height of Hollywood’s awards season.

In just a few days, they will attend the Golden Globe Awards, where both the film and Pöysti are nominated, and receive the news that the National Society of Film Critics has chosen Fallen Leaves as best non-English film. Linguistic film of the year, jet off to San Francisco for a screening, then back to Los Angeles in time for the Governors Awards.

Vatanen said in a joint interview with Puesti earlier this week that they were running out of superlatives, but they could both agree that it was “overwhelming.”

Ansa (Alma Poysti) and Holappa (Jussi Vatanen) go to the movies on their first date in Fallen Leaves.
Courtesy of Mobi

The film is about two lonely, working-class people in Helsinki, Ansa and Holappa, who meet in a karaoke bar and attempt to embark on a romance despite lost contacts, lost phone numbers, general awkwardness, middle-aged isolation and other obstacles in their way. true love. His deadpan charm transcended cultures and brought new interest and appreciation to the 20 Kaurismäki films in which he was involved, even if he himself shied away from the press and limelight. Therefore, the actors have to be the messengers of the film. But it’s the opposite of a chore, it’s a privilege.

“This film brings joy, hope and comfort to people,” Vatanen said. “It’s great to be an ambassador for that.”

Puesti said she’s almost jealous of people finding Finland’s most famous director through Fallen Leaves.

“They have so many beautiful things to discover,” she said. “His sense of humor will help you no matter how old you are, wherever you come from, and whatever language you speak. And that’s a real gift to be able to do that. Humor is one of the hardest things to translate to different cultures, and Aki does that uniquely and brilliantly.” But his deep humanity is also at the core of everything.

And you don’t need a dedicated video store to access his films, either: The Criterion Channel is currently streaming 15 of Kaurismäki’s films, including the so-called Proletariat Trilogy (“Shadows in Paradise,” “Arial,” and “The Match Factory Girl”), which fit… Right along with “Falling Leaves”, as well as “Le Havre” and “The Other Side of Hope”. “Fallen Leaves” will also be available to stream on MUBI starting Friday, January 19.

Both Vatanen and Puesti grew up under the influence of Kaurismäki, not only his films but also the culture of film appreciation he helped build in Finland through festivals, theaters and “spaces where people come together around cinema,” Puesti said. The opportunity to actually star in one of his films was something neither of them took for granted.

“He is truly the maestro of Finnish cinema,” Vatanen said. “To have the opportunity to work with him is like a dream you’ve never had before because it seemed so far away.”

“Fallen Leaves” is a cinephile’s film at heart, with nods to Jim Jarmusch, David Lean, and Charlie Chaplin. Ansa and Holappa’s film date is “The Dead Don’t Die,” but there are also movie posters in the background of many scenes — and it doesn’t stop when the cameras are turned off, either.

“It was like an endless cinematic competition on set. There was no chance of surpassing Aki in cinematic knowledge,” Vatanen said.

Puesti added that the filmmakers discussed poster choices “enthusiastically.”

They’ve been on the road with “Fallen Leaves” showing on and off for about a year, from its debut at the Cannes Film Festival, through the New York Film Festival and its debut in theaters around the world. And now they find themselves in the midst of Oscar season. “Falling Leaves” is shortlisted for the best international film representing Finland. But they don’t want to talk about that possibility yet, before the nominations are announced on January 23.

“We don’t want to jinx anything,” Puesti said.

Besides, it’s fun to talk about the movie anyway, which Puesti likes to say is “more salt” than a “sweet love story.”

“They have a very difficult life. But humor is what gets you through your day one way or another,” she said. “And these are not dating professionals at all. They act like you’re supposed to be on a date. But I don’t think either of them were on a date, maybe ever.

“It’s like they read a dating handbook, you know, ask her out for coffee and then movies and maybe dinner,” Vatanen added.

The only thing they don’t ask each other is their names, which Vatanen said isn’t actually the craziest thing, coming from Finland. He said Finns are “the silent group of Europeans.”

“You can also call this flirtation, meaning you don’t get all the information right away. You have to win it over somehow,” Puesti added. “And they are very shy. Saying your name can be very vulnerable.

Fallen Leaves star Alma Puesti is enjoying her time on the awards circuit in Hollywood at the moment.
News agency

They enjoyed hearing everyone’s response to “Fallen Leaves” at screenings around the world and knowing that people leave the film feeling hopeful.

“I love the fact that it’s just a little love story,” Vatanen said. “It’s not covered up by anything. It’s simple emotion, simple humanity, and it still, because of that, touches people, I think.”

They got a few valuable hours of downtime one day during their trip as well. Naturally, they went to the movies: a retrospective of Robert Altman’s The Long Goodbye at the New Beverly Cinema. In the land of movie stars, they expected to be under the radar. But to their surprise, there were some moviegoers there who recognized them and wanted to talk about Kaurismäki and the movie “Fallen Leaves.”

“It was so crazy,” Vatanen said.