O’Horten (Bent Hamer, 2007): Norway | Germany | France

Reviewed by Thao Huynh. Viewed at the AFI Film Festival, ArcLight Hollywood

Have you ever thought of how you would be when you were old and alone? O’Horten made the picture about a peaceful, too peaceful to be plain, of an old man.

I have seen this movie in AFI Fest. I have to admit that this movie is so peaceful and cute. Bent Harmer is a director and also screen-writer for this movie. He did a very good job and amazed mea lot.

The story is about Odd Horten (Bard Owe). He is old, retired, shy and isolated and lives alone in a small apartment. The retirement is a big new change for Odd after so many years live the same as a train engineer. Odd has his own world where there are only his perfect organization and his pipe. He has done the same thing every day over years, from going to the same restaurant having beers to using the same brand for pipe.

There was a scene that Odd accidently came into a stranger’s house while finding a way to get to his friends. He was caught by a boy who lived there. Funnily, the boy asked him to watch over him until he fell asleep. And indeed Odd was actually watching him and fell asleep in a stranger house. He missed his last train. The scene was not not long but it showed me a lot about the character. He is a kind and unsentimental man, but he does not have a voice to say what he wants.

The message Bent Harmer wants to send us that life should be adventurous, like a quote in the film “It seems most everything comes too late…so nothing comes to late.” It is never too late to step out of the shelter and explore new things in life even for once. There is always something out there interesting that if we don’t dare to learn it, we never know whether it is good or not.

I recommend this film is worthy to see. A very cute movie can make your day so simple but beautiful.