Review of O'Horten (2007) by Chris D — 27 Jun 2010

This is an odd film really, nothing happens, there is no action, no CGI, no swearing, a brief glimpse of nudity (very harmless), and no gun-play.

What you do get is a very gentle Norwegian film of a 67 year old man who after a life of being a train driver now being forced to retire. Beautifully shot and with all the actors on top form, the story meanders giving us a brief glimpse of Oddl's life and the characters that he meets while trying to come to terms with retirement. Some wonderful touches of comedy mixed with a little pathos bring us very close to the main character of the film, so we actually care about him and his situation. If you are careful and watch carefully the film could have two or more endings, depending on the way you yourself perceived the events as they unfold. It does have a proper ending, it does not leave anything to your imagination but lets say different people see different endings, which to me is very clever and cinema at its most enjoyable level.

I implore those who enjoy true world cinema to watch this film, but on the other hand if you want action or horror please avoid you will be very disappointed!