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The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared (Sweden/France/Germany, 2013)
Director: Felix Herngren
The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared is an adaptation of Jonas Jonasson’s best-selling novel of the same name. It is a fairly faithful adaptation of the novel and, importantly, it does a good job of conveying its mood/atmosphere, which is probably the main reason the novel was successful in the first place.
What’s the plot? Well, the first part of it is already conveyed in the title, which with its sheer length is funny in itself. It would be fair to say the plot doesn’t really make a lot of sense, but that isn’t quite the point. The plot consists of a series of weird coincidences and strokes of luck, beginning with the titular hundred-year-old man leaving his retirement home and coming across a mysterious suitcase, combined with slapstick and Forrest Gump-style historical insertions, which is humorous because of the sheer absurdity of it all. It might seem messy or contrived to some, but it conveys the humour of Jonasson’s original well.
The acting, too, is humorous. Though there aren’t any particularly notable individual performances, both the main and supporting cast act well, reinforcing the mood of the film.
The film doesn’t have a particularly noticeable soundtrack overall, though the jovial main theme fits well with the atmosphere of the rest of the film.
Additionally, the cinematography is good, with several clever jump cuts and rapid montages.
In conclusion, The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared is a good adaptation of Jonas Jonasson’s novel, convincingly conveying his absurdist humour.
Rating:
The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared (Sweden/France/Germany, 2013)
Director: Felix Herngren
The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared is an adaptation of Jonas Jonasson’s best-selling novel of the same name. It is a fairly faithful adaptation of the novel and, importantly, it does a good job of conveying its mood/atmosphere, which is probably the main reason the novel was successful in the first place.
What’s the plot? Well, the first part of it is already conveyed in the title, which with its sheer length is funny in itself. It would be fair to say the plot doesn’t really make a lot of sense, but that isn’t quite the point. The plot consists of a series of weird coincidences and strokes of luck, beginning with the titular hundred-year-old man leaving his retirement home and coming across a mysterious suitcase, combined with slapstick and Forrest Gump-style historical insertions, which is humorous because of the sheer absurdity of it all. It might seem messy or contrived to some, but it conveys the humour of Jonasson’s original well.
The acting, too, is humorous. Though there aren’t any particularly notable individual performances, both the main and supporting cast act well, reinforcing the mood of the film.
The film doesn’t have a particularly noticeable soundtrack overall, though the jovial main theme fits well with the atmosphere of the rest of the film.
Additionally, the cinematography is good, with several clever jump cuts and rapid montages.
In conclusion, The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared is a good adaptation of Jonas Jonasson’s novel, convincingly conveying his absurdist humour.
Rating: