By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Director: Hannes Holm
Starring: Bahar Pars | Börje Lundberg | Chatarina Larsson | Filip Berg | Ida Engvoll | Klas Wiljergård | Rolf Lassgård | Tobias Almborg
Original language title: En man som heter Ove
Country: sweden
Year: 2016
Running time: 116
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4080728/reference
Paul says: “A MAN CALLED OVE is the story of a lonely and curmudgeonly retiree who spends his time harassing his neighbors for petty HOA violations before ultimately planning to kill himself. However, Ove, who at the film’s beginning is quite unlikeable, ends up being a very sympathetic man. The screenplay modulates the emotional tone in a couple ways. First using a sort of parallel narrative in flashback, we find out more about how the widower’s personality developed: as a victim of fate, his initial optimism was worn down over time. The script also teases the tone using a quintessential Scandinavian dark wit. Ove’s dismal goals are comically thwarted by chance, so that we reflect more on the absurdity of the situation than his nastiness. As he tries and fails to be mean to his new neighbors, Ove slowly redeems himself by being a genuine friend. Balancing wry humor and pathos, the story is nicely paced, with the finale satisfyingly matching the complex tone of the film.”