Reviewed by Michael Edwards
Stars Baard Owe, Espen Skjønberg, Ghita Nørby, Henny Moan, Bjørn Floberg, Kai Remlow, Per Jansen, Bjarte Hjelmeland,
Tone Stern Bergersen, Peter Bredal, Einar Breian
Written by Bent Hamer
Certification UK 12A
Runtime 90 minutes
Directed by Bent Hamer
Sometimes retirement can seem a bleak prospect. With pensions dipping and the world around us changing at a rapid pace it can all seem too much. But luckily Bent Hamer is here to tell us that it can also be a revelatory journey jam-packed with whimsy, insight and joy! His vehicle for doing so is new comedy O'Horten.
The film tells follows Odd Horten as he nears the end of a long career in the service of the Norwegian national railway company. A distiguished train driver, his work was all he knew. He lived a life of strict routine in which his skill and commitment in his chosen career sustained him. Now he is set to retire he is lost, and meandering around his hometown he is faced with a series of scenarios that wake him up to a new life.
Whimsical and playfully constructed, O'Horten is a pleasure to watch. Strange situations ranging from being locked in a public swimming pool after hours to being chauffered through the town by a blindfolded driver provide a subtle comedy that that tickles your intellectual neurons in a pleasantly amusing way. But as he progresses through this voyage of discovery, the undertones of the events gradually crescendo into a deeper understanding of a world he had been blinded to by his dedication to trains.
The cinematography, as is so often the case with the great collection of wry Scandinavian directors working today, is excellent. Swirling snowy vistas in the countryside are split in two by trains, reminding us of our own insignificance to nature. Meanwhile the cityscapes serve to suggest a different kind of isolation, a collective ignorance of one another that, when broken, can change our world view in an instant.
As ever with director Ben Hamer, he draw a subtle yet effective performance from his actors. Baard Owe is endearing as the leading man, seemingly unflappable even in the most... well, Odd scenarios and at the same time somehow strangely vulnerable outside of his world of transport.
Overall a thoroughly satisfying cinematic experience. A light-hearted yet deep peek at an intriguing ageing psyche. Be warned though, the sweetly ironic set-pieces are occasionally a little contrived and saccharin. But if you can let these lapses pass by, you'll be richly rewarded.