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A Man Called Ove (film)

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A Man Called Ove
Theatrical release poster
SwedishEn man som heter Ove
Directed byHannes Holm
Screenplay byHannes Holm
Based onA Man Called Ove
by Fredrik Backman
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyGöran Hallberg [sv]
Edited byFredrik Morheden [sv]
Music byGaute Storaas
Production
company
Distributed byNordisk Film
Release date
  • 25 December 2015 (2015-12-25) (Sweden)
Running time
116 minutes[1]
CountrySweden
LanguageSwedish
Box office$29.4 million[2]

A Man Called Ove (Swedish: En man som heter Ove, pronounced [ɛn ˈmanː sɔm ˈhěːtɛr ˈǔːvɛ]) is a 2015 Swedish comedy-drama film written and directed by Hannes Holm and based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Fredrik Backman. It stars Rolf Lassgård in the title role.[3]

The film was released theatrically in Sweden on 25 December 2015. It was nominated for six awards, winning two, at the 51st Guldbagge Awards in 2016.[4][5] At the 89th Academy Awards, it was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Makeup and Hairstyling.[6][7][8][9]

Plot

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Ove Lindahl, a 59-year-old widower, lives in a townhouse neighborhood where he once chaired the association until his friend Rune replaced him. Rune, now paralyzed from a stroke, is cared for by his wife, Anita. Since his wife Sonja, a schoolteacher, died from cancer six months ago, Ove has been depressed. Forced into retirement from the railroad company where he worked for 43 years, Ove's routine involves enforcing neighborhood rules and visiting Sonja's grave to talk to her.

After sorting out his affairs, Ove tries to hang himself, triggering a flashback to his childhood. His mother's death left him with his silent father, a mechanic at the train company. His father's excitement about Ove's academic success leads to a fatal accident when he's hit by a train while spreading the news.

In the present, Ove's suicide attempt is interrupted by Iranian immigrant Parvaneh, her Swedish husband Patrick, and their children moving in across the street. Parvaneh's persistence breaks through Ove's tough exterior, causing him to abandon the noose for carbon monoxide poisoning. As he drifts into unconsciousness, memories flood back of "the Whiteshirts" trying to demolish his childhood home, which he defiantly repairs. A fire started by a neighbor leads to Ove losing his home, forcing him to sleep on a train where he meets Sonja. Smitten, he starts dating her, and she inspires him to pursue an engineering degree.

In the present, Ove's suicide attempt is interrupted again by Parvaneh needing a ride to the hospital for her husband's accident. After reluctantly helping, Ove ends up supervising Parvaneh and Patrick's daughters in the lobby, causing a scene and being asked to leave. Later, at the train station, he plans to end his life but instead saves a man who faints onto the tracks. His heroic act catches the attention of Lena, a local reporter, whom he evades with Parvaneh's help.

Parvaneh persuades Ove to teach her how to drive, leading to conversations about his past friendship with Rune and their falling out over car preferences. At Parvaneh's insistence, Ove reluctantly takes in a stray cat, and starts to bond with it. He also repairs a confiscated bike for a local teen named Adrian, who works at a kebab shop with Mirsad. Ove notices Mirsad's eye makeup but doesn't judge him.

Despite improving relations with his neighbors, Ove clashes with two Whiteshirts. He then tries to end his life with a shotgun but is interrupted by Adrian and Mirsad seeking refuge after Mirsad's family disowns him for coming out as gay. Reluctantly, Ove offers him shelter.

Ove learns that the Whiteshirts plan to move Rune to a nursing home, information Anita kept from him and Sonja. Ove realizes his grudge against Rune was foolish and declares war on the Whiteshirts. However, his confrontations yield little results. Frustrated, Ove shares with Parvaneh about a tragic vacation in Spain with a pregnant Sonja that ended in a bus crash. Despite Ove's efforts, Sonja lost the baby and suffered injuries, leading Ove to build a wheelchair ramp at her school when authorities failed to do so.

In the present day, journalist Lena confronts the Whiteshirts with evidence of their financial misconduct, leading to their retreat in the face of public scrutiny. Backed by supportive neighbors, Anita prevents Rune's forced relocation, allowing Ove to reconcile with him.

Later, Ove collapses and is hospitalized with an enlarged heart. Parvaneh gives birth to a son while teasing Ove about his failed attempts at dying. Ove gifts his unborn child's crib to Parvaneh and forms a close bond with her daughters, who affectionately call him grandpa.

Months pass, and during a winter storm, Ove is found peacefully dead in his bed, with his cat by his side. His modest funeral is attended by numerous neighbors, symbolizing the impact he had on their lives. Finally at peace, Ove awakens on a train to find Sonja sitting across from him once more.

Cast

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Reception

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Critical response

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On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 91% based on 121 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "A Man Called Ove's winsome sincerity — and Rolf Lassgård's affectingly flinty performance in the title role — keep it from succumbing to excess sentimentality."[10] On Metacritic, which assigns a rating to reviews, the film has a weighted average score of 70 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[11]

The Washington Post,[12] Chicago Tribune[13] and RogerEbert.com[14] gave positive reviews. Reviewers have noted that while elements and formulas are familiar from films such as St. Vincent and Gran Torino, A Man Called Ove is well made and capable of bringing real tears to the audience's eyes.[12][15][16]

As of 2023, the film is the third most watched Swedish theatrical film in Sweden of all time.[17][18]

Accolades

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Rolf Lassgård was awarded the Best Actor award at the 51st Guldbagge Awards.
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result
Academy Awards[19][20] 26 February 2017 Best Foreign Language Film Sweden Nominated
Best Makeup and Hairstyling Eva von Bahr and Love Larson Nominated
Cabourg Film Festival 11 June 2016 Essilor Audience Award A Man Called Ove Won
European Film Awards[21] 10 December 2016 European Comedy A Man Called Ove Won
Guldbagge Awards[4][5] 18 January 2016 Best Film Annica Bellander and Fredrik Wikström Nicastro (Producers) Nominated
Best Actor Rolf Lassgård Won
Best Supporting Actress Bahar Pars Nominated
Best Cinematography Göran Hallberg Nominated
Makeup and Hair Eva von Bahr and Love Larson Won
Best Visual Effects Torbjörn Olsson Nominated
Cinema Audience Award A Man Called Ove Won
Houston Film Critics Society[22][23] 6 January 2017 Best Foreign Language Film A Man Called Ove Nominated
Satellite Awards[24] 19 February 2017 Best Foreign Language Film A Man Called Ove Nominated
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association[25] 18 December 2016 Best Foreign Language Film A Man Called Ove Nominated

Remake

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Main article: A Man Called Otto

A remake was produced in the United States by Tom Hanks, who stars in the film.[26] In January 2022, it was announced that the film, titled A Man Called Otto, would be directed by Marc Forster, with David Magee writing the screenplay. Filming began in February 2022 in Pittsburgh with Mariana Treviño, Rachel Keller and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo co-starring alongside Hanks.[27][28] In February 2022, Sony Pictures acquired worldwide distribution rights to the film for $60 million, the highest ever paid for a film at the European Film Market, and set it for a Christmas 2022 release.[29]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "A MAN CALLED OVE (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 20 June 2017. Archived from the original on 21 May 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  2. ^ "A Man Called Ove". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 21 May 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  3. ^ "A Man Called Ove (2015)". Swedish Film Database. Archived from the original on 7 April 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  4. ^ a b Göransson, Jan (4 January 2016). "Nominations for the 2015 Guldbagge Awards" (Press release). Swedish Film Institute. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  5. ^ a b Norman, Isabel; Nykänen, Joni (18 January 2016). "Glädjevrålet på Guldbaggegalan" [The Joy of the Guldbagge Awards]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  6. ^ McNary, Dave (15 December 2016). "Oscars: Nine Films Advance in Foreign-Language Race". Variety. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on 17 December 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  7. ^ Samuelson, Kate (24 January 2017). "Here Are the 2017 Oscar Nominations". Time. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  8. ^ Tillgren, Jenny (22 December 2016). ""En man som heter Ove" kan få Oscar för make up och hår" ["A Man Called Ove" Nominated for Makeup and Hairstyling Oscar]. Expressen (in Swedish). AB Kvällstidningen Expressen. Archived from the original on 21 May 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  9. ^ Kit, Borys (21 September 2017). "Tom Hanks to Star in, Produce 'A Man Called Ove' Movie". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 8 July 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  10. ^ "A Man Called Ove (En man som heter Ove)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  11. ^ "A Man Called Ove". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  12. ^ a b Merry, Stephanie (20 October 2016). "'A Man Called Ove': The curmudgeon next door — with a Swedish twist". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 6 May 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  13. ^ Phillips, Michael (28 September 2016). "'A Man Called Ove' review: Swedish heartwarmer on love, loss and connectivity". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 3 January 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  14. ^ Henderson, Odie (30 September 2016). "A Man Called Ove". RogerEbert.com. Ebert Digital LLC. Archived from the original on 1 October 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  15. ^ Keough, Peter (12 October 2016). "His life as a dogged old man". The Boston Globe. Boston Globe Media Partners. Archived from the original on 3 January 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  16. ^ Goodykoontz, Bill (13 October 2016). "Tears and laughter in 'A Man Called Ove'". The Arizona Republic. Gannett Company. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  17. ^ Weidrud, Hanna (14 April 2016). ""Ove" tredje mest sedda svenska biofilmen". SVT Nyheter. Sveriges Television. Archived from the original on 20 April 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  18. ^ Fossbo, Hannes (13 January 2023). "De mest sedda svenska filmerna på bio någonsin – Lasse Åberg och Astrid Lindgren dominerar". SVT Kultur (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 6 March 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  19. ^ Nordyke, Kimberly (24 January 2017). "Oscars: 'La La Land' Ties Record With 14 Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 25 January 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  20. ^ Variety Staff (24 January 2017). "Oscar Nominations: Complete List". Variety. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on 24 January 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  21. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (10 December 2016). "Maren Ade's 'Toni Erdmann' Sweeps 29th European Film Awards". Variety. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on 11 December 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  22. ^ Movie Awards Plus (13 December 2016). "Houston Film Critics Nominations for 2016 Films". Movie Awards Plus. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  23. ^ Davis, Clayton (13 December 2016). "Houston Film Critics Society Nominations – 'The Nice Guys' and Rebecca Hall Get a Deserved Boost". Awards Circuit. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  24. ^ Kilday, Gregg (29 November 2016). "Satellite Awards Nominees Revealed". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 29 November 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  25. ^ "2016 StLFCA Annual Award Nominations". St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association. 18 December 2016. Archived from the original on 16 December 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
  26. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (21 September 2017). "Tom Hanks To Star In 'A Man Called Ove' Remake". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on 29 September 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  27. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (18 January 2022). "Marc Forster To Direct Tom Hanks In 'A Man Called Ove' With SF Studios, Rita Wilson & Playtone Producing David Magee Script". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 18 January 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  28. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (31 January 2022). "STX & CAA Board Sales On Tom Hanks Comedy 'A Man Called Otto' Ahead Of Pennsylvania Shoot; Supporting Cast Revealed For EFM Hot Pic". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  29. ^ "Tom Hanks Comedy 'Man Called Otto' Sells To Sony For $60M". Deadline Hollywood. 10 February 2022. Archived from the original on 22 April 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
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