O'Horten

O' Horten (2007) is a dark comedy Norwegian film directed by Bent Hamer. The film's title character Odd Horten is a habit-bound train driver, who is about to have new adventures once he retires. The film's main cast includes Bård Owe, Espen Skjønberg, & Ghita Nørby. There are also several cameos from various well-known Norwegians, such as ski jumper Anette Sagen. The music was composed by John Erik Kaada. Here are the pros & cons of this film as I see it, I hope this helps you.Pros:1. If you like dark comedy like I do, then this is a real treat2. Overall well acted3. Loved the cinematography of the train going through the mountains, etc.4. Good use of sets which enhanced the scenes & moodCons:1. A little slow in parts2. Although this is not an issue for me, if you do not speak Norwegian & don't like to read subtitles, then this might not be your cup of tea

.... unless you're Scandinavian. No, limit that to Norwegian or Swedish, or Minnesotan. Even a Dane wouldn't crack a smile at most of the quirky humor of "O'Horten". But it doesn't matter so much. It isn't really a comedy, though it's advertised as such. It's a wry, tender lament about getting old ... or wait! perhaps it's a deliberate propaganda ploy from the welfare state intended to discourage workers from retirement before they've become decrepit and senile! What is there for old Odd Horten, forty years a railroad engineer, to do with himself on his modest pension except to contemplate the things he's never had the nerve or the means to do? Horten is gentle, reserved, reliable, stiff, meek, an observer rather than a partaker. His health is good. His mother is still alive, probably in her nineties, a one-time ski jumper, now a placid wordless window-sitter in an old folks' home, whom Horten visits faithfully, lovingly. Horten seems never to have married; he is scarcely more alone after retirement than he's always been, but he has more occasion to notice his loneliness."O'Horten" is beautifully acted. Beautifully filmed. Heart-achingly real, slow and still, yet concisely edited. Old age is also mostly slow and still but not so artfully edited. You won't enjoy it much but you'll find it touching. Old age, I mean, not the movie. The movie has to be viewed as art, not entertainment.The actor who plays Horten has a face with more wrinkles than a field of cracked lava. Horten is supposed to be sixty-seven years old. One year younger than I am. Scary. I'll be shaving without a mirror tomorrow morning.

highly recommended

I wasn't sure whether to buy this dvd. The reviews were about 50/50. Some loved it, others thought it was boring and a waste of time, I am definitely in the LOVE camp. It is a lovely amusing (sometimes laugh out loud funny) film. It has such a wonderful feel to it, I have watched it over and over again...each time picking up on little nuances that I missed previously. It is an absolute treasure.

Some reviewers complained how slow the movie moved but that was part of conveying this man's life. I am still not sure if he went down the ski jump or if he just imagined he was going to do it and made his mental break through. Some days after I watched it, it occurred to me that he had just left the house with the borrowed skis when the "real inventor" arrived at his house so it would have been impossible for him to have made the jump but at that point he realized it was a mental block he had to over come before moving on with his life. Additionally the entire story the fake inventor told was imagined from his brother's life.

At first, I did not like the film as much. It was not what I expected!But eventually, it grew on me. Only because I gave it a chance.OK, most people need to instantly love it or hate it. I wanted to love it , and it worked.Some amazing scenes, shot exquisitely, great acting, true-to-life plot BUT with some twists ;--]]Yes, I love foreign movies, I like Norway, and when I saw the Bergen train station in real life, it made me feel great!Give Mr. Horten a chance. He might end up warming your heart.By the way, two other great films from Norway are 'buddy' and 'elling'. I recommend them very much!

What an extraordinary movie! Slow, yes, but a different tempo would have destroyed that precious mood that is infused throughout the film. I don't know how Norwegians have managed to create this special genre of theirs that is simultaneously funny, quirky, and bound to provoke much thought. This type of movie is certainly not for everyone. It takes a certain degree of maturity, of long ripening of the mind, and perhaps a special kind of intelligence. For this select group of people, Odd Horten is a unique treat.

O'HORTEN is so un-American...and so real I can taste it. It makes me want to watch "I Remember Mama" all over again. Remember Dagmar? Baard Owe as Norwegian train conductor Odd O'Horten is perfect in every way. His deadpan expression is both hilarious and sad at the same time. Of course I can related to him because I am a 67 year old Amtrak conductor who can't afford to retire and often regrets things I haven't tried. I work with an engineer from Sweden whose mother suffers from the same mental condition as Odd's. I can't wait to share this dvd with him.The scenes of the train dashing through the snow are flawless.Thank you Bent Hamer for a superb experience.

At first I was a little put off by O'Horten's slow, deliberate pace. I was expecting something in the same vein as my other foreign film sweetheart, Amelie. But I think because of the abrupt, almost perplexing lack of monotony of retired life introduced to the quiet main character gave it so much more agency and humanity. Made all the more poignant by drawing it out.Great movie!

Ein Lokführer sieht sich auf einmal mit dem Irrwitz des Ruhestandes konfrontiert. Obwohl der Film viel schrägen Humor und Situationskomik enthält, ist er nicht albern, sondern hat immer diese typisch skandinavische Melancholie. Wer das nicht mag, sollte auf den Film verzichten. Für Eisenbahn- und Skandinavienfans ist er allerdings schon wegen der schönen Aufnahmen ein Muss.

Il fait parti de ces films difficile à évaluer,ni bon ni mauvais

Der ist so schlecht, dass er bei mir nichtmal in die Kategorie "Lustige Gurkenfilme" fällt.

Der Film über einen Mann, der erst mit dem Ruhestand lernt, sein Leben zu leben. Der Film wirft lässt einen darüber, ob die Gewohnheit und Durchgeplantheit des Lebens das ist, was man möchte. Das Drauf-Los-Leben birgt viele Möglichkeiten. Eine Sympathie für den Hauptprotagonisten zu entwickeln fällt leicht.