Review of O'Horten (2007) by Benjamin R — 07 Mar 2012

Norway is full of natural treasures. There is ice. There are fjords. And there's Bent Hamer.

Hamer's latest film "O' Horten," was originally released in 2007, and has spent the last few years navigating the mystical and convoluted path that every foreign film must take to reach the shelves of your local video store.

Very early on, you realize that "O' Horten," both literally and figuratively, is an ocean away from Hollywood. It''s hard to categorize, and even harder to summate. The film follows Odd Horten, a 67-year-old train engineer, on the eve of his retirement. I suppose it could be called a late-in-life coming of age tale, or a deadpan comedy about an old dog learning old tricks. To reduce the film into a synopsis, though, is to rob it of its stately and subtle charm. It is the human response to outlandish circumstance which defines the film, and in this way, Odd's journey through the film is paramount to his destination.

"O' Horten" is very aware of its surroundings. It utilizes the Nordic winter as a character per se, a technique that is unobtrusively reinforced by the beautiful cinematography. Every other aspect of the film is a similar lesson in restraint. The production stays out your way, letting the characters quietly have their say, and allowing Hamer's strange vision to thrive.

Odd is flawlessly rendered by film veteran Baard Owe, who gives a master class in dramatic delicacy, carefully and laboriously crafting the incremental unfolding of Odd.

Silence plays an important role in Hamer's films, and to those accustomed to American films, the dialogue can seem sparse. However, each and every performance is careful and sentient, and even the briefest of interactions are worthwhile.

Hamer approaches the film with the same whimsy and complexity that has marked his work heretofore.

His approach to character is unorthodox, but effective. Rather than implement a traditional development structure, Hamer drops Odd unceremoniously into the bizarre. Among a wealth of other strange occurrences, Odd wanders the icy streets of Oslo in red high-heels, takes a midnight drive with a blind motorist, and in one of the film's best and most dreamlike scenes, watches as a dignified gentleman glides, seated , down an ice covered street. Odd's movement through the story is intuitive, but each event feels more like a vignette than means to a dramatic end. Despite the episodic feel of the happenings, cohesion is never sacrificed. It's impossible to guess where Odd is headed, but every step seems to have its place.

"O'Horten" is Scandinavian filmmaking its best - droll, but profound. Unique, but accessible. Ethereal, but never without focus. Most impressively of all, "O'Horten" manages to gently imbue its melancholy with a sense of hope - an indomitable warmth beneath so much snow.