The Man Without a Past

Nominated for an Academy Award(r) (2003 Best Foreign Language Film), this second installation of acclaimed Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki's Finland Trilogy is a comic drama that's both totally unique and completely irresistible. When a laborer (Markku Peltola) arrives in Helsinki in search of a job,he gets a brutal surprise beating in a local park by a group of thugs instead. He miraculously survives, but amnesia prevents him from remembering anything, including his name. Soon, a Salvation Armyworker (2002 Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Award Winner Kati Outinen) develops a shy interest in him, and a sweet, natural romance begins between the two. But just as the man's life begins to make sense again, his past suddenly returns to haunt him.