A MAN CALLED OVE (Swedish with English subtitles)

59 year-old Ove is the block’s grumpy man. Several years ago he was deposed as president of the condominium association, but he could not give a damn about being deposed and therefore keeps looking over the neighborhood with an iron fist. Just when he’s decided to give up on life, pregnant Parvaneh and her family move into the terraced house opposite Ove and accidentally backs into Ove’s mailbox setting off the beginning of an unexpected change in his life.

This movie is only in limited release in my city, which is surprising. It’s a drama with some very black humour. But it is, overall, a feel good movie. In fact, it is so feel good that that the director seems to have felt compelled to provide a cheesy, “Hollywood” ending that, for me, detracted from the film’s quality. The story is, however, quite fresh and there are some great performances from the cast. If you want a good laugh with a serious message about what it means to live a happy life, check it out.