Finnish love stories are few and far between in Hollywood, but Golden Globe-nominated actor Alma Pöysti’s delicate and endearing portrayal of love and longing has captured the hearts of tinsel town and beyond. We caught up with the Fallen Leaves-actor for a chat about the mastery of Aki Kaurismäki’s cinema - and her stunning Golden Globes gown!
No one was more surprised than Alma Pöysti, when the Golden Globes-nominations were unveiled and the actor found herself on a roster including Natalie Portman, Margot Robbie and Jennifer Lawrence. “It was quite surreal,” says Pöysti, who at the time was in Paris doing promotion for the film Little Adults. “Someone came in and said ‘You’re on the list for the Golden Globes’. I was like ‘wow’ the film made it, how wonderful! And then I found out that I was also nominated as an actor. I was so surprised!”
Aki Kaurismäki’s Fallen Leaves had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Jury Prize and received critical acclaim for the performances of both Pöysti and her on-screen love interest, played by Jussi Vatanen. The film went on to land two nominations at the Globes: Best Motion Picture Non-English Language and Best Performance by an Actress in a motion picture – Musical or Comedy.
Still of Alma Pöysti in 'Fallen Leaves'. Photo: Sputnik
Still of Alma Pöysti in 'Fallen Leaves'. Photo: Sputnik
Albeit not winning at the Globes (Emma Stone won for her performance in Poor Things), Pöysti says that she could not have been happier about finding herself in one of the heaviest categories, surrounded by silver screen royalty. “I mean, they are the best actresses in the world right now so it’s still quite surreal,” she says. “I just saw Poor Things and I loved it and I think it’s great that the Globes can have both Barbie and Fallen Leaves in the same category. That says a lot about where humour can go!”
Pöysti certainly looked like a winner, walking the red carpet in a silk gown by Finnish designer Anne-Mari Pahkala. “I’ve been working with Anne-Mari Pahkala for many years now and apart from being very skilled, she has a wonderful philosophy to her work,” says Pöysti. “The gown is hand-sewn in Helsinki and I’m happy that that I was able to share the spotlight with a Finnish designer.”
Alma in her Anne-Mari Pahkala gown.
The gown drew inspiration from the raw, minimalistic universe found in Kaurismäki’s films. Pahkala noted that she wanted every aspect of the evening gown to be timeless, allowing space for the observer. “It sparks wonder, encourages contemplation, and inspires dreams, while the silhouette playfully combines elements from costume history, blending Rococo-era Watteau pleats with contemporary freedom and humour emphasised by the front pockets,” she says. “The red hue of the luxurious Shantung silk dress is born from the recurring red motif in the film.”
While The Globes were the first US stop for Fallen Leaves, the movie is also Finland’s official selection for Best International Feature at the 96th Academy Awards. Pöysti shares that the team behind the film has already travelled far and wide with it, offering the actor time to reflect over what it is about the film’s particular Finnishness that is capturing so many hearts beyond Finland: “People everywhere seem to be touched by it,” she says. “The comments I’ve heard is that it is a hopeful and humane film. I think people find it very honest and funny but they can also connect to loneliness: what it’s like to be lonely and what it takes to fall in love. Kaurismäki is a true auteur in the right sense of the word and he has this unique wonderful sense of humor that no-one can copy.”
BTS of Alma on the set of 'Fallen Leaves'.
Kaurismäki hand-picked Pöysti for the role, an honour that the actor had surely earned. She has a solid CV, though she’s best known for Tove (2020), in which she depicted the life and art of Tove Jansson. Pöysti says that she took on the role as Ansa without even having seen the script. “I mean if Aki Kaurismäki, the legend, asks you to join him on a project, you can really trust that it’s going to be a once in a lifetime, beautiful adventure and when I got the script I found it very touching,” she says. “And it was also the shortest script that I have ever read, because Kaurismäki is a man of few words!”
When it comes to the things that are specifically Finnish about the film, Pöysti reminds me of the fact that Kaurismäki is the master of silence. “And silence is something that we do appreciate in Finland,” she says. “We are quite a shy bunch! I guess it can be a strength but it can also be a trap if you want to get out of your bubble and meet someone, so I guess the struggle is real.”