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Man of the Year

With October upon us, it's time to get serious. Traditionally, the better films start getting released at this time of year, the thought being that the people who vote for year-end awards have a short memory. Sweden's entry for this year's awards is "A Man Called Ove", based on a popular novel by Fredrik Backman. It's a typical tale of a curmudgeon with a heart of gold. Sure, this isn't exactly a unique premise, but in the hands of director Hannes Holm and the acting of Rolf Lassgård, it's a thing of beauty.

Ove (Lassgård) is the local tyrant of a neighborhood association. Anyone who passes him in the complex is subject to ridicule and anger if Ove believes that person is in any way in violation of anything, no matter how trivial. He sees himself as the lone voice of reason in his little world and he is not shy about letting everyone around him know that they are pretty much useless.

Holm does an outstanding job of slowly revealing how Ove became the man he is, using tragedy and humor masterfully in a way that makes us understand Ove and eventually love him. Again, I understand that revealing how a curmudgeon became one is not a novel thing, but the execution here is near-flawless. 

It's not just Lassgård who shines in the cast. Flashbacks of Sonja (Ida Engvoll), his beloved recently deceased wife, show a kinder, gentler Ove, but the scenes that reveal the most and entertain the best involve Ove's interactions with his new neighbor Parvaneh (Bahar Pars).

Parvaneh is an equally strong-willed woman from Iran who married a Swede. Rather than back down from Ove, as everyone else does, she gives it right back to him, but with an edge of kindness and understanding. He is annoyed by her, but a part of him likes her, even if it takes a while to finally come out.

There are many little sub-plots throughout, with most of them being darkly funny or just plain old funny, and every one of them works. That Holm weaves it all together so well is what makes everything so satisfying. Yes, it's most definitely manipulative, but it didn't bother me at all. It left me happy and upbeat and I can't think of a better way to feel after a day at the cinema. So far, this is my favorite film of 2016.