A man called Ove

Ove (Rolf Lassgård) seems to be a neighbour from hell. He pedantically makes his inspection rounds every morning, taking note of all the parking violations, locking up troublesome bikes, and making sure trash is disposed of properly. Ove doesn't take much pleasure in his constant checks and his grumpy manner. But only a few people know the sad story behind Ove's behaviour. Because actually he has a damn big heart, which seems to know no joy after the death of his beloved wife. When he also loses his job and is doomed to early retirement, Ove decides the time has come to leave this world. But then a new family moves in next door, throwing his plan for a loop.

With his debut novel, A Man Named Ove, author Fredrik Backman has made an absolute bestseller not only in Sweden. The wonderful story also made it to the top of the sales lists in many of the more than 30 countries where the book has been published so far. No wonder that a film adaptation was not long in coming. The renowned director and screenwriter Hannes Holm has turned the great book into an enchanting film that has even left Star Wars behind in Sweden. Why is that? It's easy to explain with a statement by Steven Spielberg, who once said what makes a really good film for him: it must be able to make the audience laugh and cry at the same time. And that's exactly what A Man Called Ove does wonderfully.

Dramaturgically, the film has two levels. On the one hand, there is the story of an unusual friendship between Ove and his new neighbours, which is interspersed with occasionally somewhat black humour. Here, numerous clichés are used again and again and Ove's transformation from an old curmudgeon to a lovable grandpa from next door doesn't really offer many surprises. But the realization - from the wonderful acting of Rolf Wallander Lassgård over the music to the atmospheric camera work - always hits exactly the right spot and works despite a certain predictability simply Best.

The second level is the very emotional look at Oves life. From his childhood to the loss of his father to the love of his life, Sonja (Ida Engvoll). These scenes are full of magical little moments that help the viewer see Ove more and more through different eyes. With a perfect mix of subtle humor, heartfelt romance and touching drama, an ever-increasing emotionality is built up, culminating in a finale that will hardly leave a dry eye in the house. But even though the ending can't really be called happy, the audience won't leave the cinema frustrated. As with the rest of the film, Hannes Holm knows perfectly how to stage the ending in such a way that happiness and sadness go hand in hand here completely harmoniously and the viewer is released into reality not only with a tear in his eye, but also with a smile on his lips.

A Man Named Ove may not reinvent the wheel. But the film manages to be, in a very unexciting way, as it were, bitterly wicked and velvety, hilarious and deeply sad, dark and beautiful. And for this there is a more than deserved: Absolutely worth seeing

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp