DVD Review: A Man Called Ove

A Man Called Ove is an absolutely wonderful film about an older man who is set in his ways, who is cantankerous, a man who is trying to maintain some sort of order over his rather small world after the loss of his wife. It begins with Ove (Rolf Lassgård) arguing over a coupon for flowers, and you can’t help but side with him, especially as the poor cashier is unperturbed by his rant. Moments later we see him place the flowers at his wife’s grave, a place he returns to often throughout the film. Then during the opening credits sequence, Ove goes about his routine, checking on the state of things in his immediate neighborhood and grumbling whenever his finds something amiss, which is often. And I have to admit I could very well end up as this man. Perhaps we all could. And that is what endears him to us immediately.

Early in the film, Ove is let go from his job, not because he’s incompetent, but simply because of his age. But interestingly, he doesn’t put up a fight at all. And soon we learn why. He has decided to kill himself in order to rejoin his wife. In fact, he only stops when he spots someone through his window driving on a path where no cars are allowed. He has to go out to put a stop to that, of course, to restore order. We can’t help but wonder if his current state is due to the loss of his wife, or if he was always of this nature, and soon we begin to suspect the former.

The mixture of comedy and drama works incredibly well here, sometimes within the very same moment or even the same line of dialogue. During his second suicide attempt, the doorbell rings, and he begrudgingly goes to answer it. When he is close to succeeding at killing himself, he revisits his past, and we are treated to moments from his childhood and early adulthood, and we begin to get a sense of what a remarkable person he is, and what a good person he is. In the present, a reporter hints at Ove’s exciting past. And there are other hints of things that have not yet been shown to us, and we find ourselves more and more immersed in this character’s life and world, as he himself becomes immersed in the life of Parveneh (Bahar Pars), his new neighbor.

A Man Called Ove had me in tears at times, laughing out loud for joy at other times. It’s a beautiful and moving film, featuring a tremendous performance by Rolf Lassgård.

Special Features

The DVD contains a few special features. The Ove In Us All: A Talk With Hannes Holm, Rolf Lassgård And Bahar Pars is a look at the main characters through the perspective of the actors playing them, as well as from the film’s director. They talk about the combination of comedy and drama, and about the Saab/Volvo rivalry in that country, something that plays a part in the story. This is approximately fourteen and a half minutes. There is also a Q&A with the film’s directors and stars, moderated by John Anderson. Hannes Holm talks about his reaction to the book. Rolf Lassgård and Bahar Pars talk about how they met, and discuss different scenes. This special feature is approximately twenty-one minutes.

The special features also include a photo gallery showing the makeup for the character of Ove, and a makeup time lapse, showing his makeup being applied and removed. The film’s trailer is also included.

A Man Called Ove was directed by Hannes Holm, and is presented in its original Swedish, with optional English subtitles. It was released on DVD on December 27, 2016 through Music Box Films.