A Man Called Ove (Hannes Holm)

[Spinal]

IMDb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4080728/)

https://s30.postimg.org/oovdlutw1/en_man_som_heter_ove.jpg

[Spinal]

Boy, I really liked this a lot. I don't want to blow it up too much, because it's probably best experienced as the small, unassuming film that it is. But I was thoroughly taken in by this character and his story. Excellent lead performance. Wonderful blend of dark humor and sentimentality.

Make sure to include this on your end-of-the-year checklist.

[Skitch]

This came to me with high marks. I look forward to it.

[Irish]

Likewise. This is near the top of my "must see" list

[Irish]

Huge yay.

This starts out darkly funny and becomes warmly sentimental. It was exactly the kind of film I was looking for. I moved it up on my list after reading Spinal's reaction, and he nailed the film's tone and attraction.

Particularly liked the flashbacks, which were well integrated into the main story and well developed, too. Also: The Saab/Volvo shorthand to describe the friendship between two grown men who've had a falling out.

Ove is the only movie I've ever seen where I was glad the protagonist died at the end --- he finds peace, and gets to be with Sonja again.

[Spinal]

Ove is the only movie I've ever seen where I was glad the protagonist died at the end --- he finds peace, and gets to be with Sonja again.

Yes! Good point! So glad you enjoyed it.

[Spinal]

The continuity between old Ove and young Ove is really quite remarkable.

[Irish]

The continuity between old Ove and young Ove is really quite remarkable.

How do you mean?

(Possibly related: There's a sequence late in the film where Ove is standing at his front window, and when he turns away, his younger self and his wife are sitting on the couch. There's a brief over-the-shoulder with the three of them in the frame, then it cuts to just the young people. I found it almost remarkable how often the film introduced the flashbacks in a creative way, without slamming the audience in the face and yelling "THIS RIGHT HERE IS A FLASHBACK -- like distorting the audio so that voices initially sound more distant, etc, or shooting in black and white, or any of the inane shit American TV does.)

Also appreciated:

The film never forces this point either, and it didn't occur to me until very late: This guy is initially presented as an almost comically irascible old dude, but gradually, over the entire runtime, we learn why. He's lost everyone he's ever loved and in terrible ways. First his mom, then his dad, then an unborn child, and finally, his wife.

The creative detail in small bits of writing: Like when Ove goes up to his attic and we see him fiddling around, right in front of a crib. The film hadn't quite announced that detail yet, that he might have had a kid, and it lets it lie for a bit before revealing what happened. Instead the moment turns into a funny and grim reveal with him grabbing a gun out of a pile of junk.

[Spinal]

Oh, I wasn't clear. I meant in the performances. The two adult actors are very plausible as older and younger versions of the same person. But I like your points as well.

[Irish]

Oh, I wasn't clear. I meant in the performances. The two adult actors are very plausible as older and younger versions of the same person. But I like your points as well.

Ohhhhhh yeah! That's a good point. I'm kinda curious how they worked that out creatively. They managed to capture the same character without overtly referencing the other guy's work.

Another thing I liked, somewhat related: That Ove develops his own value system from within the film. Like first with the wallet on the train, then trying to return his dead father's pay. Later, with saving lives. I thought that was a nice touch that made a mean old man more likeable --- here's a guy who steadfastly always does the right thing.

[Peng]

Liked the present scenes a fair bit, which thankfully makes up most of the film, but I can feel myself internally yawning during every extended flashback. How well-acted they may be just can't mask how tired this structure feels to me. At least Ida Engvoll as Sonja has the charm to liven up the latter half of those flashbacks, and the lead Rolf Lassgård is stellar throughout. Mild yay because it ends strongly.

[Idioteque Stalker]

At first I was like, "Ehh, this is type of film my grandma would like." And then I was like, "Aww! This is the type of film my grandma would like!" Good movie.

[Grouchy]

I can't tell if you guys are serious... this is an awful, awful movie.

By the time the film has Ove letting in a homeless gay man, loving Persian food and being a pioneer in building facilities for the disabled I was basically stunned - I couldn't believe how phony and vomit inducing a film could get. I suppose it has some formal qualities but the rotten, hypocritical soul of the movie was too much for me.