O’Horten

When most men retire they get a pension, a handshake and a lifetime of memories to mull over as they ride off into the sunset of their golden years. Odd Horten, however, isn’t most men. Or at least he isn’t on the last day of his career as a train driver when a series of outlandish situations take the normally stoic Odd on the adventure of a lifetime.
Directed by Bent Hamer (Factotum), O’Horten is a sweet and funny comedy that doesn’t try to force itself on the audience, but instead seduces them into the world it creates and let’s the laughter take care of itself. It’s the complete opposite of 99 percent of the comedies American audiences are used to, and that’s a good thing. Hamer keeps you interested in the story by never going for the obvious joke – or sometimes any joke at all – and just letting the characters he’s created play out their part in Odd’s adventure. He also doesn’t worry about letting the silence build between his characters, never falling victim to the American style of comedy that seems to be based on the rule that if something is not happening or being said at all times, then the film stops being entertaining. It’s a refreshing difference.