Ove is a man in his late fifties, a widower who has just lost his job. He appears to be the archetypal grumpy old man, fastidiously enforcing his neighbourhood association rules on his neighbours. Ove wants to commit suicide so he can re-unite with his wife, but every time he tries he is thwarted when one of his neighbours does something he disapproves of and that he thinks warrants his intervention.
Those failed attempts provide some dark humour in what is otherwise a profoundly moving film. By the use of flashbacks, writer/director Hannes Holm, gradually reveals Ove to have been a bright young man, ground down by a series of tragic events in his life and his insistence on following the rules.
Those flashbacks are necessary to provide the context the film requires, although it is also a shame they reduce the screen time of the terrific Rolf Lassgård who subtly unveils the humanity under Ove’s curmudgeonly exterior. Despite himself, Ove can’t refuse to help someone else in need, whether that is a new neighbour, a young man he barely knows, or a stray cat. In fact, it is the relationship between him and his neighbour, Parvaneh (Bahar Pars) that is at the heart of the film. It feels more real and heartfelt than the one with his wife, Sonja (Ida Engvoll).
I found A Man Called Ove to be a tremendously touching movie, although it does tip over into over sentimentality in the last 10 minutes.
Rating: 9 out of 10