At the same time, however, that Kaurismäki's sense of absurdism--with its comic timing stretched to what can feel like infinity--gives his bleak movies the feel of divertissements, his direction of the action doesn't cause you to laugh out loud. This is in large part because he directs the actors to respond slowly and mutedly. As a result they're no more expressive in their roles than sock puppets would be, and less so than Nick Park's claymation figures. (Kati Outinen did, however, win best actress at Cannes in 2002 for this role. In the L.A. Weekly Andrew Mann has said it "was widely considered a career-achievement award"; maybe that explains it.) The actors certainly offer Kaurismäki little competition for the audience's attention. Everything is focused on his perspective, his style, his attitude. That's how he's made and maintained his international reputation, but he's taking less of a chance than if his movies offered more heterogeneous experiences. For a director who pointedly uses popular music in his movies Kaurismäki isn't a rousing filmmaker: he has no intention of providing the audience with release, even though The Man Without a Past ends happily. It could work for his entire career or it could be a trap. Being too hip to play anything straight, or even to play anything at all, is exactly what sank Alex Cox and Jim Jarmusch's directing careers within a few years of their breakthrough successes, even with art house audiences. It isn't surprising to read in this BBC interview with Outinen that Kaurismäki's movies aren't even popular in Finland.

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Alan Dale is author of Comedy Is a Man in Trouble: Slapstick in American Movies.