I want to say that "Fallen Leaves" and Wong Kar-wai's "In The Mood For Love" trilogy are both treating the identical theme - the challenges of love. Except that, even though the theme is the same, these two films exist in entirely different universes. Not even parallel universes, LOL!
The first half of Aki Kaurismäki's presentation was side-splitting, stand-up, visual comedy. The typical dead-pan humor had sparse, but sufficient, dialog, and was delightfully sardonic. It was paced so well, and the leads excelled at the style, that by the time the third act came around, I had just become aware of how much I was invested in the story and characters.
The real difference between the Fin's and the Hong-Konger's entry to the love challenge is the Weltanschauung. In Fallen Leaves, we are guided to a more hopeful, positive universe. It's easy to see why this film was a Cannes favorite.