Alma Pöysti: Best Actress Dark Horse for ‘Fallen Leaves?’ [VIDEO]

Finnish filmmaker Aki Kaurismäki (Le Havre, The Man Without a Past, The Match Factory Girl) has gifted us with a beguiling and droll rom-com that only he can deliver, one where two lonely lovebirds meet and connect, but then through a series of calamitous, often-hilarious situations, lose touch, only to, by happenstance, meet again. Repeat. Stir. Get hit by a train. Repeat.

In Fallen Leaves, Ansa (Alma Pöysti) is an underappreciated woman toiling in a supermarket where she is scrutinized by her higher ups and eventually fired for pocketing an expired sandwich.

Holappa (Jussi Vatanen), a construction worker (although he is soon fired from that job) drinks too much , frequents a Karaoke bar and doesn’t seem to care about anything or anyone. That is until he meets Ansa who makes him want to change his alcoholic ways. But fate pulls them apart only to bring them back together, only to…well, you get the idea.

Pöysti made an international splash portraying the titular character in Zaida Bergroth’s biopic, Tove (Finland’s International Oscar submission in 2020), about the famous Finnish author and illustrator Tove Jansson. She was named Best Actress at the Finnish Film Awards.

The thesp studied at the University of the Arts Helsinki and worked in Swedish, Finnish and Russian Theatre. She has appeared in various Scandinavian film and TV productions, including the series Helsinki Crimes, Blackwater as well as the feature Four Little Adults.

Her most recent role is the lead in the Swedish film, A Day and a Half, directed by Fares Fares which is currently streaming on Netflix. This thriller centers on woman who is kidnapped by her former husband.

Upcoming is a major part in Pirjo Honkasalo’s Orenda.

Fallen Leaves won the Jury Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and is up for 5 European Film Awards including Best Film, Director, Actor and Actress for Pöysti.

The film will be released in U.S. theaters, by MUBI, on November 17.

Awards Daily had the pleasure of Zoom chatting with Alma.