O’Horten
Director: Bent Hamer
Cert: 12a (Norwegian with subtitles)
Time: 1hr 30mins
Quite what Norwegian’s use for inspiration is unclear but if this surreal and beautifully crafted film offers any answers it is probable that it may well fall within the bounds of what are commonly termed “illegal substances”.
Odd Horton is a 67 year old train driver who has plied the same route for so long that he could do the journey in his sleep. His life is wrapped in the comfort blanket of routine but, as retirement following a forty year career beckons, he must embark on the process of assimilation to an existence without work.
So begins a series of bizarre yet touching encounters all of which suggest more than we are seeing at face value. His Alzheimer’s riven mother, the landlady who has cared for him over the years, the owner of a tobacco and pipe store and a chance meeting with a deluded foreign diplomat. All show Odd to be a man very different from his working persona proving that, behind the façade, there is more to folk than meets the eye. Any film that can achieve that, whilst making you smile, is worth the entrance fee.
Rating: 3/5
Patrons: 9
CA
As you said, beautifully crafted, and for a 67 year old, a good swimmer and ski jumper.