O' Horten

• Bård Owe: Odd Horten
• Espen Skjønberg: Trygve Sissener
• Bjørn Floberg: Flo
• Ghita Nørby: Woman Thörgersen

O ' Horten is a Norwegian film by Bent Hamer from the year 2007. The title character in the film is the train driver Odd Horten passionate, which must rearrange his life after his retirement. Generally well received by critics, the film received a nomination in the Un Certain Regard at Cannes.

Action

Odd Horten is a passionate engineer of the Norwegian State Railways and is on the verge of retirement. Reluctantly, he befriends with the thought of using this moment to lose his rhythm of life. With the award, the "Silver Locomotive" he is honored by his colleagues shortly before his last trip solemnly for 40 years of service. Odd can then be persuaded to celebrate. When he did not come after a settlement due to a defective bell in the house in which to celebrate his colleagues, he seeks his way through the scaffolding. He ends up in an apartment where a young boy persuades him to wait in his bed until he falls asleep.

As Odd wakes up the next morning, he steals past the breakfast family of the lower boys and hurries to the station. But just on his last trip, he missed the first time the train. Odd just comes to the platform as the train moves out and escapes almost before his astonished colleagues. With the retirement is increasingly Odd hedgehog t in his apartment. He tries in his incipient loneliness foothold in life. He sold to a friend after his many years of fruitless persuasion his boat and tries to kill his time.

When he befriends on the road with the alleged homeless Trygve Sissener, this takes him home. You decide the next day early in the morning to drive blindfolded car. As Trygve at this ride suffers a heart attack, Odd returns to his house and gets his old skis. He wants to continue the tradition of ski jumping in his family, including his years lacked the courage. Previously, he meets Trygves brother, from whom he learns that Trygve was a failed inventor and actually lived on the streets. The house belonged to his brother. As Odd finally climbs the ski jump at Holmenkollen and actually jump, making it exempt from such a load. He travels to Bergen, where he visited his longtime girlfriend.

Reception

Criticism

The film was picked up by Norwegian and international film reviews generally good. Jon Selas by the Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang talked about a " little movie about life " and particularly praised the " existential philosophy " of the film. Although Vegard Larsen from Dagbladet judged some scenes as unnecessary, but saw the high expectations in the face of Hamer's earlier films as fulfilled. Ingunn Økland, author of Aftenposten, certified instead to film, to be the director does not do justice. However, she emphasized the strengths of the film, such as the camera work and the soundtrack.

International critics were similar opinion. Duane Byrge of The Hollywood Reporter called the film a " hot story from cool Norway ". While there are also objections such as by Alissa Simon of the industry magazine Variety, who said the film lacks " carefully crafted characters and a non- acting action designed so poignant and vivid as yet in Kitchen Stories ". But they certified the film " warm and gently humorous entertainment value " and was the production and the film music as excellent. James Rocchi of cinematical.com particularly emphasized Bård Owes performance and his " warm gesture " out. He had a " meticulous sense " for " situational facial expressions ." Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly compared Owe with Jack Nicholson Warren Schmidt in About Schmidt. They also pulled the Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki approach as compared to the cinematic style Hamers.

Honors

O ' Horten was nominated in the side section Un Certain Regard at the International Film Festival of Cannes 2008. One critic noted with praise, the film is in a festival with little joyful stories " delightfully funny ". For Hamer was the fourth appearance in Cannes, a film director Arne Skouen was also often represented as Norwegians. For Hamer 's nomination meant an increase, since its previous investments were limited to the less prestigious category Directors' Fortnight. At the festival, the film also took place with Sony Pictures Classics an international distributor.

Hamer won with the 2008 film also the Norwegian Film Critics ' Award, which he won becoming the first director three times. In the Amanda Awards 2008 O ' Horten also received several nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. Profits he could, however, only the awards for Best Sound and Best Supporting Actor for Espen Skjønberg. O'Horten was submitted by Norway as a proposal for the 2009 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, but was not shortlisted.