It is one of those never ending debates: should you first see the movie or should you first read the book. In this case I first read the book - by Fredrik Backman - and enjoyed it so very much. So I was naturally a bit worried that the movie will not be as good or will not be able to "translate" well enough the anti-ageist - not to say subversive - spirit of the book. Well - it's a great movie, which stand ups to the book. The plot surround an aging Swedish man: Ove (played by Rolf Lassgard). Basically he is depressed after his wife died, and after he lost his job (after working in the same company for more than 40 years). So - he tries to end his life - and hang him self. But as you can understand - he fails. Why he fails? See the movie !! I will only say that as usual - people around him are involved: neighbors, friends, young and old. The beauty of this movie is not only that we receive Ove's life history, and "understand" his old age through the lense of his childhood, and adult life. It is not in its attempt to glorify aging or hide the challenges of loneliness in old age. It is in the ability to show, through humor, how "it's never too late": to change, to love, to learn new things. A beautiful gerontological movie, with all the needed ingredients.
Year: 2015.
Director: Hannes Holm.
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