A Man Called Ove, 2015
Ove (Rolf Lassgard) is a man in his late 50s who has become increasingly isolated after the death of his wife, Sonja (played in flashbacks by Ida Engvoll). At a point of total despair and loneliness, Ove no longer wants to be alive. Against his will, though, Ove is pulled back into emotional connection with the arrival of a new neighboring family, especially the wife/mother of the family, Parvaneh (Bahar Pars).
There's a TED Talk that I've gone back to a few times called "Isolation is the Dream Killer", and I thought of it a lot while watching this film. There are several events that take place in Ove's life that are out-and-out tragedies, but we see via flashbacks that Ove was able to overcome them. In his present state it's the isolation that's doing him in. As he forms connections with others, he slowly comes back to life.
Ove is a very lovable character. He honestly made me think a lot of one of my students who struggles with OCD and some other related mental health issues. He likes things
just so, and expects others to abide by his very logical rules. He has a rigid sense of rights and wrong, and he behaves accordingly even if it puts his own well-being at risk. His bluntness does not come from a place of unkindness, as we see him take in a stray cat, teach his neighbor to drive, and even temporarily take in a young gay man who has been kicked out of his home because of his sexuality.
The film splits its time between the present day and flashbacks to Ove's youth (played by Filip Berg) and his relationship with Sonja. We see how Ove's sense of decency was shaped by his relationship with his father, and how his romance with Sonja pushed against his rigid boundaries. Both Lassgard and Berg are charming in the lead role. Pars is also winning as the heavily pregnant Parvaneh who is unrelentingly cheery and patient with Ove.
I only had two minor nitpicks with this film. The first was just some inconsistency with the narration. There are times that the flashbacks are narrated by Ove, and it honestly doesn't totally make sense. (It does make sense when the flashbacks are couched as Ove talking to someone else). The narration just isn't needed, in my opinion.
I also thought that the characters of the "whiteshirts"---officials who in a flashback want to destroy Ove's home and in the present want to institutionalize Ove's neighbor (and former best friend/frenemy)--were a bit over the top. They are played as just sneeringly evil, and I thought it was a bit too much. I understand including an element that can unite the neighbors and light a fire under Ove, but it feels like too much. A scene where one of them taunts Ove over his wife's death lands wrong for me. There is such a rich depth of character development and
internal conflict that putting energy into an external conflict feels out of place.
A very sweet film. I have a friend who really loved the book, and the story is certainly engaging.
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, looks like I got my full ten so here's a breakdown of the noms given to me.
