En man som heter Ove
Sweden, Norway
Synopsis
A drama comedy about unexpected friendship, love and the importance of surrounding yourself with the proper tools.
Director's Statement
Ove is shaped by hard work and has lost his mother at age seven. From his father he learned that life is all about hard work, the differences between right and wrong, and the only car you should drive is a SAAB. In the film we follow Ove in the present were he looks over the neighbourhood with an iron fist. Through flashbacks Ove’s journey trough life emerges and his heart-breaking love story with his wife Sonja. The love Ove has for Sonja makes him determined to join his wife and to try to commit suicide. However, this turns out to be more difficult than he thought, because he always gets interrupted by other people who need him. We also learn that behind Ove’s grumpiness lives a heart-warming man with a passion for justice. As a character, Ove is a man that many of us can recognise around themselves, like your father, grandfather, brother or uncle. Ove’s way of looking at people and situations around him providess both comic relief as well as a drama.
I want to focus more on the drama part but Ove’s way of looking at things gives the story laughter. His friendship with the neighbour Parvaneh grows stronger and slowly Ove starts seeing himself so close to the family that the children call him grandfather. In the flashbacks we see the love story between Ove and his Sonja, were we, as cinematic references, look at MY LIFE AS A DOG and FORREST GUMP. Other references I have are ABOUT SCHMIDT and AS GOOD AS IT GETS. This story should touch people’s hearts in both a feel-good, humorous as well as a dramatic way. This is a story about a life; a journey between laughter and tears, simple as life itself is.
Director's Biography
He got his first film role in Birgitta Svensson's 1981 feature film INTERRAIL. Then followed a series of TV series in the 80s which he generally created along with his companion Måns Herngren. They wrote and directed the popular satire series S * M * A * S * H with Svante Grundberg, Felix Herngren and Peter Wahlbeck. In 1987 Hannes Holm created the cult children's series THE OLSSON BROTHERS.
In 1995, ONE IN A MILLION with Tomas von Brömsen and Gösta Ekman became his first feature film, together with Måns Herngren. This was a huge success, followed by ADAM & EVE (1997), THE REUNION (2002) and EVERY OTHER WEEK (2006), to name but a few.
In 2007 Hannes Holm directed WONDERFUL AND LOVED BY ALL, based on Martina Haag’s best-selling novel with the same title. He also wrote and directed BEHIND BLUE SKIES (2010), an original feature inspired by the true story of one of the most scandalised drug stories in Swedish crime history, the so-called “Sandhamn league” who produced drugs in the Stockholm archipelago during the 70s.
Filmography:
2014 - THE ANDERSSON´S ROCKS THE MOUNTAIN
2013 - THE ANDERSSON´S HIT THE ROAD
2012 - THE ANDERSSON´S IN GREECE
2010 - BEHIND BLUE SKIES
2006 - EVERY OTHER WEEK
2002 - THE REUNION
2000 - SHIT HAPPENS
1997 - ADAM AND EVE
1995 - ONE IN A MILLION
Cast & Crew
Directed by: Hannes Holm
Written by: Hannes Holm
Produced by: Annica Bellander Rune, Nicklas Wikström Nicastro
Cinematography: Göran Hallberg
Editing: Fredrik Morheden
Production Design: Jan-Olof Ågren
Costume Design: Camilla Olai-Lindblom
Make-Up & Hair: Eva von Bahr, Love Larsson
Original Score: Gaute Storaas
Sound Design: Hugo Ekornes
Animation: Torbjörn Olsson
Cast: Rolf Lassgård (Ove), Bahar Pars (Parvaneh)
Nominations and Awards
- European Comedy 2016
- People's Choice Award 2016
- European Actor 2016
- Feature Film Selection 2016