The Man Without a Past

Play trailer

The Man Without a Past

PG-13,

2003,

1h 37m,

Comedy/

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

98%

93 Reviews

Tomatometer

90%

5,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

98%

Tomatometer

93 Reviews

90%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

After a brutal beating in a Helsinki park, a middle-aged welder (Markku Peltola) falls into a coma. When he wakes up, he cannot recollect a single detail about his life. Unable to provide information to the authorities, the man has no legal way to regain his life. He finds a community of homeless people, and creates a home out of a metal container. He eventually meets Irma (Kati Outinen), a Salvation Army worker, and they fall in love while he rebuilds a life with new friends and a new job.

Critics Consensus

Kaurismäki delivers another droll comedy full of his trademark humor.

Read Critics Reviews

Jay Boyar

Orlando Sentinel

Aug 29, 2003

4/5

Kaurismaki's movies can tickle you with the briefest of statements, the smallest of gestures.

Go to Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Jun 27, 2003

3.5/4

At the end of The Man Without a Past, I felt a deep but indefinable contentment.

Go to Full Review

Michael Wilmington

Chicago Tribune

Jun 27, 2003

4/4

A powerful film made with minimal means, it's a story of poor people on the fringes of society, done without sentimentality or condescension but with wicked humor.

Go to Full Review

Farah Cheded

A Good Movie To Watch

Sep 2, 2023

It’s not often a movie can so persuasively reassure us of people’s inherent goodness, but it’s even rarer still for it to be done with as much deceptive, charming simplicity as here.

Go to Full Review

Barbara Majsa

barbaramajsa.com

Feb 22, 2020

M is a multilayered character. He is both an outcast and an artist, but he could be much more. He is no one and everyone, and Helsinki for him is nothing and everything.

Go to Full Review

Jeffrey Overstreet

Christianity Today

Mar 16, 2019

B+

With its rusty railroads and dingy metal canisters where the downtrodden dwell, [this film] finds color, surprise, and joy in the simplicity of struggling Helsinki outcasts.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Albus P

Jan 21, 2018

Helsinkians will love this film a lot. As usual, the endearing humour in Kaurismäki's style is much appreciated.

Read all reviews

Aki Kaurismäki

Director

Markku Peltola

M

Kati Outinen

Irma

Juhani Niemelä

Nieminen

Kaija Pakarinen

Kaisa

Sakari Kuosmanen

Anttila

The Corporation

89%

90%

The Corporation

Watchlist

Time Out

95%

80%

Time Out

Watchlist

Before Sunset

95%

92%

Before Sunset

Watchlist

Monsoon Wedding

95%

87%

Monsoon Wedding

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Monsoon Wedding

Yi Yi

97%

91%

Yi Yi

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

After a brutal beating in a Helsinki park, a middle-aged welder (Markku Peltola) falls into a coma. When he wakes up, he cannot recollect a single detail about his life. Unable to provide information to the authorities, the man has no legal way to regain his life. He finds a community of homeless people, and creates a home out of a metal container. He eventually meets Irma (Kati Outinen), a Salvation Army worker, and they fall in love while he rebuilds a life with new friends and a new job.

Director: Aki Kaurismäki
Producer: Aki Kaurismäki
Screenwriter: Aki Kaurismäki
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: Pyramide Productions, Sputnik Oy, Bavaria Film, Yleisradio, Pandora Filmproduktion
Rating: PG-13 (Some Violence)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: Finnish
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 4, 2003, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 28, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $921.5K
Runtime: 1h 37m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings