Watching Aki Kaurismaki's profoundly inspired new comedy The Man Without a Past, I was reminded how critical a director's approach to material is in conveying his meaning to the audience. In the hands of several different directors, the same material could morph from a drama to a comedy, to a thriller, to a love story. It's ultimately what the director is trying to say with his material, and it all comes down to one thing: tone. In The Man Without a Past, Kaurismaki creates a comic aura of such deadpan lunacy and inspired madness that you can't help but laugh at his sustained audacity at taking a simple, sweet story and turning it, at times, into original and bittersweet comedy.

After a vicious beating by thugs leaves a man (Markku Peltola, sublime in his Chaplin-esque poker-face) on the verge of death, he is revived and re-enters the world a new man - one with amnesia and no memory of his past affairs or any detail of his true identity. Through a series of encounters with kind strangers and new friends, he slowly begins to re-build his life, personally and professionally. We follow him through a zany series of encounters, a new job at the Salvation Army, a budding love affair with co-worker Irma (Kati Outinen) and a newfound friendship with a cowardly dog. He continues building a new life with little trace of his previous identity, until one day….

The Man Without a Past has been celebrated internationally, taking home the coveted Grand Jury Prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival, and it arrives in the U.S. with a legion of fans who delight at its every deadpan zinger, off-center wit and infectious spirit of whimsy.

As a story, The Man Without a Past is nothing profound or exceptionally complex. But the truth of the film is in the exquisite handling of a most original comic tone, and that tone is sustained for the duration of the film, creating a sweet spell that just feels good.

I'm not sure this film deserved to win the grand prize at Cannes. And I'm even more skeptical about the Best Actress prize going to Kati Outinen, whose narrowly conceived role and relatively undemanding performance, exist in an ironically detached comic world, usually reserved for filmmakers like Jim Jarmusch.

To me, the film is great at what it does, but what it does is really quite light and a few hours after seeing the film, I have a curious reaction: fun while it lasted, but ultimately not altogether brilliant or memorable, as its reputation suggests. What narrows the experience for me, is that at a conceptual level, it's rather thin - and though perfectly executed, I might have preferred a more ambitious approach, more expansive subject matter and a few flaws.

The crisp cinematography, charming rock-n-roll music and droll humor make The Man Without a Past an original, pleasing and charming experience. There are nice laughs to be had at the mannered performances, and one fabulous scene in particular, involving a mush-mouthed, legal-spouting attorney, is a gem. In fact, there are many memorable comic moments of deadpan comedy and a truly inspired silliness of tone.