O'Horten (2007)

A drama focused on a life-changing moment in 67-year-old train engineer Odd Horten's existence: the evening of his retirement.

Director:

Bent Hamer

Writers:

Bent Hamer, Harold Manning (french adaptation)

Stars:

Baard Owe, Espen Skjønberg, Ghita Nørby

8 wins & 18 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Baard Owe	...	Odd Horten (as Bård Owe)
Espen Skjønberg	...	Trygve Sissener
Ghita Nørby	...	Fru Thøgersen
Henny Moan	...	Svea
Bjørn Floberg	...	Flo
Kai Remlow	...	Steiner Sissener (as Kai Remlov)
Per Jansen	...	Lokfører
Bjarte Hjelmeland	...	Konduktør
Gard B. Eidsvold	...	Stinesen
Bjørn Jenseg	...	Valkyrijen kelner
Morten Rudå	...	Röhmer
Lars Øyno	...	Connery
Trond-Viggo Torgersen	...	Opsahl
Terje Alsvik Walløe	...	Man på pissoar
Peder Anders Lohne Hamer	...	Nordahl

Storyline

A picaresque tale. Odd Horton is dependable and contained: he's a train engineer retiring after 40 years of service, living a simple life. His idea of adventure is to fly from one city in Norway to another. Starting on the night of his retirement dinner, Odd has a series of dislocating experiences: a boy insists that Odd sit by his bedside while he falls asleep; misadventure causes Odd to miss his last run; he witnesses an arrest; he assists an old man and makes a friend; he takes a trip with a blindfolded driver; he adopts a dog; he takes stock late one night at the roundhouse; he revisits his mother's disappointment in him. How should he live the rest of his life?

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Plot Keywords:

retirement | mother son relationship | sleep over | ski jumping | blind driver | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for brief nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

Norway's official submission to the foreign language Oscar.

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Crazy Credits

To my mother, and all other female ski jumpers

User Reviews

Driving blind

Rhapsodic. Anti-climactic. Deadpan. Superbly lit, shot, and cut. Writer-director-producer Bent Hamer's unique blend of vision and attention to detail makes sure that everything fits in this gem of an art-house movie. It's uneventful and unprecedented at the same time. In the process of telling the story of Odd Horten's retirement, Bent Hamer paints an affectionate portrait of his quiet hero. We never know what's really going on in Odd Horten's mind, but we learn a great deal about him just from watching him go about his daily routine during his final days as an award-winning locomotive driver on the Oslo-Bergen express. Odd is a loving son, an early riser, a drinker of black coffee, a pipe smoker, a boat owner, a late-night sauna-goer. Late one night, on his way home, he meets Trygve, a schizophrenic inventor who likes to drive his Citroen with his eyes closed. What Trygve says of his brother is also true for Odd: He does things in his own way. The segment about Odd's exhausting attempt to pay a visit to his friend Flo, an airport worker, alone is worth the ticket. Great instrumental score by John Erik Kaada. Not for everyone, but if you like it odd, Odd is your man.

Details

Official Sites:

Océan Films [France] Official site [Japan]

Country:

Norway Germany France Denmark

Language:

Norwegian

Release Date:

26 December 2007 (Norway)

Also Known As:

O'Horten

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$24,938, 24 May 2009

Gross USA:

$302,232

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,791,937

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bulbul Films, Pandora Filmproduktion, ZDF/Arte

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1