A Man Called Ove (2015)

Ove, an ill-tempered, isolated retiree who spends his days enforcing block association rules and visiting his wife's grave, has finally given up on life just as an unlikely friendship develops with his boisterous new neighbors.

Director:

Hannes Holm

Writers:

Hannes Holm (screenplay), Fredrik Backman (novel)

Stars:

Rolf Lassgård, Bahar Pars, Filip Berg

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 16 wins & 27 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rolf Lassgård	...	Ove
Bahar Pars	...	Parvaneh
Filip Berg	...	Unga Ove (young Ove)
Ida Engvoll	...	Sonja
Tobias Almborg	...	Patrick
Klas Wiljergård	...	Jimmy
Chatarina Larsson	...	Anita
Börje Lundberg	...	Rune
Stefan Gödicke	...	Oves pappa (Ove's father)
Johan Widerberg	...	Vitskjortan
Anna-Lena Brundin	...	Journalisten Lena (as Anna-Lena Bergelin)
Nelly Jamarani	...	Sepideh
Zozan Akgün	...	Nasanin
Viktor Baagøe	...	Ove 7 år (7 year-old Ove)
Simon Edenroth	...	Adrian

Storyline

59 year old Ove is the block's grumpy man who several years earlier was deposed as president of the condominium association, but he could not give a damn about being deposed and therefore keeps looking over the neighborhood with an iron fist. When pregnant Parvaneh and her family moves into the terraced house opposite and accidentally backs into Ove's mailbox it turns out to be an unexpected friendship. A drama comedy about unexpected friendship, love and the importance of surrounding yourself with the proper tools.

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Plot Keywords:

botched suicide | grumpy old man | visiting wife's grave | grumpy neighbor | bus crash | 

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Taglines:

Misery Hates Company.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic content, some disturbing images, and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Two different Ragdoll cats, Magic and Orlando, were used in the movie. During casting, Magic was selected due to his adherence, curiousness and because he could never be startled away. Orlando was a stand-in used for the scenes when the cat was required to stay put or to be carried for long periods of time. Both cats were born in Poland.

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Goofs

When Ove's neighbor goes into labor she is making sounds that do not match her mouth, especially when we see her from the side.

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Quotes

Ove: One thing is certain though: Whatever we do in this life, no one gets out of it alive.

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Connections

Referenced in WatchMojo: Top 10 Great Movies You Missed This Fall (2016)

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Soundtracks

Blott en dag
Music by Oscar Ahnfelt (uncredited)
Lyrics by Lina Sandell (uncredited)
[Incorrectly credited as Traditional]
Performed by Stockholms Symfoniorkester (Stockholm Symphony Orchestra)
(p) 2011 Naxos AB

User Reviews

evolve your relations

Some of the movies that I find the most interesting are ones that focus on interactions between people from different cultures. "En man som heter Ove" ("A Man Called Ove" in English) is one such movie. The protagonist is a misanthropic, aging man in a neighborhood in Sweden. He spends much of his time telling people if they're breaking the law. But when an Iranian woman and her family move in, this becomes a new opportunity for him.

In addition to showing Ove's relationship with this new family, the movie uses flashbacks to establish what kind of a person Ove is. And believe me, there are some shocking things that happened in this man's life. I had never heard of the director or cast members before watching the movie, but I'm impressed with their work (including the cat). The movie has some clever scenes, but also makes sure to emphasize the characters' relationships with each other. I hope that Hannes Holm continues to make this sort of movie, and I hope to see Rolf Lassgård in more movies. Bra gjort!

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan] official webpage

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish Persian

Release Date:

30 September 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Man Called Ove

Filming Locations:

Trollhättan, Västra Götalands län, Sweden

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$54,608, 2 October 2016

Gross USA:

$3,479,315

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$30,691,696

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tre Vänner Produktion AB, Film i Väst, Nordisk Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1