A MAN CALLED OVE

Sweden, 2016, 116 minutes, Colour.
Rolf Lassgard, Bahar Pars, Filip Berg, Ida Engvoll.
Directed by Hannes Holm.

It is probably best to give this film some time to work its way on our emotions. The beginning is rather severe – and the film could have been called The Man Called Cantankerous (and that is something of an understatement!).

Ove (an extremely persuasive performance from Rolf Lassgard) is a 59-year-old widower, in charge of supervising the community area where he lives, absolutely meticulous, not afraid of confronting offenders, a letter of the law kind of person (the exact, exact letter of the law).

He is grieving the death of his wife, Sonia, some months earlier, is called in by the bosses where he works and let go (with a token gift of a spade for him to work in his garden). These are two of the white shirt men that he so loathes, bureaucrats, idiots – as he calls most people that he encounters.

Often visiting his wife’s grave, he is determined to go to her and tries to commit suicide several times (though he succumbs to temptations to open the door to visitors). The suicide attempts provide the occasion for significant flashbacks, to the little boy and his relationship with his father, the death of his mother, his father’s kindness, love of motors, work on the railways. Another flashback shows the adult Ove, bringing his exam results to his father – which leads to tragedy. Developers want to take over his house because it does not meet requirements – and, as he rescues an adult and child from a burning neighbouring house, sparks set fire to his own home. With nowhere to go, he lies down on a train compartment seat – and wakes to find a sympathetic young woman opposite him.

As Ove goes about his business, criticising everyone, carping with disappointment, his life begins to change when a family with two children parked illegally, reverse into his letterbox, and experience his wrath, but the mother, from Iran, generally takes no-nonsense and offers him food, her husband borrowing a ladder, with Ove giving him the manual, gets help from Ove with her driving, inveigling him into looking after her children, and persuading him to take in a stray cat.

There is a significant sequence where he rescues a man who has collapsed on railway tracks and is tempted to stay there himself. And there is a running story of his friendship rivalry with his neighbour, very much focused on the rivalry between Saab and Volvo.
Once we are involved in this kind of interaction, we know where the film is headed and it is a matter of wanting to learn more about Ove and his marriage to Sonia, why they have no children, and his greater involvement with more of the the locals, a young man who is trying to mend his girlfriend’s bike, a gay young man whom he takes in after the young men’s father rejects him, and a lot more activity with the family across the street. There is a particularly moving scene where he and the mother have coffee and cake in the restaurant where he and his wife did the same every Saturday (from 1 o’clock to 2 o’clock exactly) and the story of Sonia, very moving, is revealed. Ida Engvoll is a very attractive Sonia.

There is still more action in the film, and a play, both happy and sad, and the doctor’s diagnosis that Ove has a big heart.

The film was one of the five nominees for 2016 is Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.

(Since the actor playing the young Ove resembles actor Domnhall Gleason, the thought comes to mind that for the English-language version of this film, Gleason’s father, Brendan, would be a good casting coup.)

1. Oscar nomination? Awards? A popular film? Swedish, for the Scandinavian audience, universal audiences?

2. The locations in Sweden, the city, the gated neighbourhood, streets, homes, workplaces, hospitals, cafes, the railway system? The colourful sequences in Spain? The musical score – and the incorporation of popular songs, Willie Nelson, Shadow of your Smile…?

3. The title, the focus on, aged 59? In himself, a big man, widower, grieving the death of his wife? His sadness? Seeing him buying the flowers – and upset about the price, two for the price of one? Meticulous, application of the regulations, parking, the dog, the presence of the cat, the boy with the bike, checking the locks, the stability of the notices? Obsessive, compulsive? The film showing his regularity with these jobs, people’s reactions, his reaction to people, calling them idiots? His hostile attitude towards White Shirt bureaucratic people?

4. Ove as cantankerous, his interactions with people, the woman with the dog, the young boy with the bike, parking, Patrick and his wife, backing into his letterbox? His doing the reversing?

5. The decision to go to Sonia, to commit suicide, the various attempts, his being interrupted? Trying to hang himself, gassing himself in the car, at the railway station, saving the man who collapsed on the line, tempted to stay there? The journalist witnessing it and interested in his story and later coming to see him?

6. His memories, as a little boy, the death of his mother, the bonds with his father, cars and how they move forward, work on the trains? Adult, exams, success, showing the results to his father, his father’s excitement, his death? Ove not liked by the workers? Ove and his house, the bureaucrats wanting to pull it down, the regulations? The neighbouring house on fire, his heroic rescue, the sparks and his own house burning? Going to the train, sleep on the compartment seat, the initial encounter with Sonia, her paying the ticket, his returning regularly to see her again? Finding her, offering to repay, her suggesting dinner, his awkwardness in conversation? Ultimately proposing, her acceptance? The happy life? His always going to the grave, talking with her, explaining things, the flowers?

7. His job, the interview with the bosses, his being fired, the gift of the shovel? Calling them White Shirts?

8. His friendship with Rune and Anita, with Jimmy? The past, the friendship, organising the gated community, establishing the regulations? The humorous comparisons between Saab and Volvo? Rune’s coup, Ove antagonistic, ultimate reconciliation, Rune and his stroke, his wife and care? The company, the ambulance, the White Shirts, arrogance, googling Ove, Ove and his googling them? The discovery of the swindle? His contacting the journalist, the threat of exposure? Patrick, his wife, the children, trying to park, the skip with their clothes? Ove and his reversing, their pleasant reaction, the wife giving him rice, his enjoying it in writing the note? Patrick borrowing the latter and Ove giving him the manual, Patrick’s fall, going to hospital, Ove driving, slowly? His minding the daughters, occupying them, telling the story, his having to use the voice of the Bear? The wife, giving her driving lessons, the man tooting behind them? Her passing the exam? Taking her for coffee and cake where he had gone with Sonia, and the precision of the times on Saturday?

9. The occasion for the flashback, Spain, the joy of Sonia’s pregnancy, both happy, holiday, Ove going to the toilet, the crash, his being saved, saving Sonia, the hospital, her vegetative state, reviving, crippled?

10. Sonia, her personality, cheerful, wanting to teach, the prohibitions with no ramp, Ove deciding to build the ramp, her getting the job, interactions with the students – and the surly boy reciting Shakespeare? The boy with the bike and his tribute to Sonia?

11. The boy, the bike, the puncture, girlfriend, Ove and his mending the bike? Going to the kebab shop, meeting the boy, his gay friend, the discussion, the gay boy’s father ousting him, the request for Ove to take him in?

12. The wife, the pregnancy, in hospital, giving birth?

13. Ove, his collapse, the doctor saying and he had a big heart, well again, but later collapsing and dying, going to Sonia?

14. The children call him granddad, his mellowing, happy death and hope of life after death?