A Man Called Ove

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A Man Called Ove (Swedish: En man som heter Ove, pronounced ['u:v?]) is a Swedish comedy-drama film which was released to cinemas in Sweden 25 December 2015. The film was written and directed by Hannes Holm, and is based on author Fredrik Backman's 2012 book of the same name. In the leading role as Ove is Rolf Lassgård. The film was nominated for six awards, winning two, at the 51st Guldbagge Awards in 2016. It was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film and Best Makeup and Hairstyling categories at the 89th Academy Awards.

Video A Man Called Ove

Plot

59-year-old widower Ove Lindahl lives in a townhouse neighborhood. Ove used to be the chairman of the neighborhood association, until he was replaced by Rune. Rune is now bound to a wheelchair, unable to speak, after suffering a stroke. Nevertheless, Ove is still resentful of Rune and his wife, Anita. Ove is depressed after losing his wife, Sonja, a schoolteacher, who died of cancer six months previously. After working at the same company for 43 years, he is pushed toward retirement. His attempts to hang himself are repeatedly interrupted by Iranian immigrant Parvaneh, her Swedish husband and their two children, who are moving into the house across the street.

During another suicide attempt, Ove flashes back to his childhood. His mother died when he was a young boy, leaving him alone with his quiet father, a mechanic at the train company. His father was only passionate about engines, and shares his knowledge with Ove. Just after Ove left school with good exam results, his father was hit by a train and killed. In the present, Ove's life is spared as the rope he used for a noose snaps and he falls to the floor.

Next, Ove attempts suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning, by sitting in his running car in a garage. He once again recollects the past, when he began working at the train company. Two men from the local council, whom Ove dubs "The Whiteshirts", arrive at young Ove's home and declare it should be demolished. Ove instead fixes the house. His neighbors' home catches fire one night, and Ove saves two people. Sparks from the fire cause his own home to burn, but The Whiteshirts tell the firemen not to put the fire out. With nowhere to go, Ove sleeps in a train at work; he wakes up to find a young woman, Sonja, sitting across from him. He is smitten with her and returns to the same early train each morning. After three weeks, he finds her again, and they begin dating. She encourages him to return to school, and he earns a degree in engineering.

Back in the present, Ove's attempt to kill himself is interrupted by Parvaneh banging on the garage door, wanting a lift to the hospital where Patrick has been taken with injuries from a fall. Ove then goes to the train station and plans to jump in front of a train. However, a man on the platform faints and falls onto the tracks. Nobody moves to help him, so Ove jumps down and drags him off the tracks. After saving the man's life Ove stays on the tracks waiting for the train to run over him, at the last moment he reconsiders and climbs back onto the platform. Parvaneh asks Ove to teach her how to drive, and he eventually agrees. He also takes in a stray cat upon Parvaneh's insistence. He tells Parvaneh about the early days in their neighborhood, when he and Rune worked together to establish rules and order, with Ove chairman of the neighborhood association board and Rune the deputy chair. They grew apart over the years despite being neighbors, until Rune organized a "coup" and replaced Ove as chairman, along with a running rivalry over cars. Ove takes care of Parvaneh and Patrick's two daughters, Sepideh and Nasanin, while she practices driving. He also begins to bond with a stray cat he has grudgingly taken in after it was attacked by a neighbour's dog. He repairs a bike he confiscated from a neighborhood teen, Adrian, and delivers it to the teen at his job at a kebab shop, where he meets Mirsad, another young man. Ove first mocks Mirsad over his eye makeup, and asks him if he is "one of those gays," but has no problem with that when Mirsad admits that he is.

Despite his improved relations with his neighbors, Ove has an altercation with two "Whiteshirts" who are attempting to force Rune into a nursing home. Ove then tries to commit suicide using a shotgun, but is interrupted by Adrian and Mirsad ringing his doorbell. Adrian says Mirsad had been kicked out of his house after coming out to his family and needs a place to stay. Ove gruffly invites Mirsad in. Later, while fighting to save Rune from being taken into an asylum, Ove opens up to Parvaneh about Sonja. When Sonja was pregnant, she wanted to go on a vacation before the baby arrived. They traveled on a tour bus to Spain, and when they were returning home over a windy road, the bus crashes due to the driver's drunk driving. Sonja lost the baby and was confined to a wheelchair. When the local authorities ignored Ove's pleas to build a wheelchair ramp, he went to the school in the night and built it himself.

Ove collapses and is taken to the hospital, where he lists Parvaneh as his next of kin. Parvaneh is told that her "father" is suffering from an enlarged heart but will survive. Laughing, she tells Ove he is terrible at dying, before suddenly going into labor and delivering a boy. Ove gives gifts to Parvaneh's daughters, who refer to him as grandpa. Several months later, Parvaneh and Patrick find Ove has died in his sleep. The neighborhood packs the church for his funeral.

Maps A Man Called Ove

Cast

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Reception

Critical reviews

The film received generally favorable reviews, with a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 91% and a Metacritic score of 70. Washington Post, Chicago Tribune and Rogerebert.com 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.

As of 2016, the film is the third most watched Swedish cinema-film in Sweden of all time.

Accolades

src: www.impawards.com

Remake

A US remake will be produced by Tom Hanks, who also will star in the film

src: www.kcet.org

See also

• List of submissions to the 89th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
• List of Swedish submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

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References

src: britishcinematographer.co.uk

External links

• Official trailer
• A Man Called Ove on IMDb
• A Man Called Ove at the Swedish Film Institute Database
• A Man Called Ove at Rotten Tomatoes
• A Man Called Ove at Metacritic

Source of the article : Wikipedia