Movie: A Man Called Ove

A Man Called Ove:  a Swedish comedy-drama.  When we first meet Ove (Rolf Lassgard), we meet a stereotypic Grumpy Old Man.   Although his grumpiness never fully goes away, we discover during the course of the film that Ove is not really that old (59).  We also learn about his life, the reasons why he is so grumpy, and that Ove is a truly decent human being who is grieving deeply for his recently deceased wife.  After the introductory sequence, we watch as Ove attempts to kill himself.  His effort, however, is interrupted - again and again and again - each time by an intervening and humorous event.  With each interrupted suicide we learn a bit more about Ove.  As it turns out, Ove has lived an eventful life filled with good deeds and blessed by a wonderful marriage.  The movie opens a few months after Ove’s wife, Sonja (Ida Engvoll), passes from cancer.  We get to know Sonja through charming scenes of Ove’s remembrances of their life together.  Ove’s residence is part of a small homeowners association.  Many of the owners ignore the regulations established by the Association but not Ove, who is rule and enforcement excessive.  Into this tight community moves a young couple with two young children and another on the way.  The husband is Swedish and from the general area.  The wife is Iranian.  Through kindness and persistence, Parvaneh (Bahar Pars) forms a relationship with Ove and, in the process, we learn even more about our character.  Parvaneh and Ove develop a father–daughter relationship and the children think of Ove as their grandfather.  Part of the reason their relationship grows is that Ove views Parvaneh’s husband, as he views most folks, as an idiot.  The more we learn about Ove, the more respect and appreciation we have for him and the more we understand his tremendous grief over losing Sonja.  Ove is a person who has endured tragedies but still managed to create a good life, until Sonja’s death.  This 116 minute film is based upon Fredrik Backman’s 2012 bestselling Swedish novel of the same name.  It is directed by Hannes Holm.  The sub-titles are posted at a readable pace.  There is far more humor in A Man Called Ove than this outline indicates.  This is a very enjoyable film and, if you take the time to see it, you will be pleased to have met Ove.