Ein Mann von Welt

A Somewhat Gentle Man (2010)

Norwegians, even more than Swedes or Danes (at least in their films) seem to be glum, dour sorts. And our leading man, a big Norseman (played by Swedish great Stellan Skarsgard) just out of jail after serving 12 years for murder, is unhappy. But now, getting a job as a mechanic and living in the basement of the mechanic's wife, he is surrounded by such an odd assortment of regular people, his colorfully mundane struggle to survive and get a little along the way is hilarious and moving.

It wouldn't be helpful to say exactly what happens--that he crosses up two women, that he tries to reunite with his son who's expecting a baby, that he has to "settle accounts" with some thugs who won't leave him alone. It's how these things happen, and who plays the characters, that makes this film really great fun. And expert fun. This is a tale well told, comic, patient, clever. The plot gets interwoven and impossible in a Shakespearean way (brought to a high pitch of plausible improbability by the delivery scene, you'll see), and so everything is tightly controlled. Even the music is a parody of itself, somehow, a light and spasmodic jazz funk score that helps make clear all of this is a little bit in fun, even when it gets awful in a couple parts.

The characters here are unpretty types, either homely or ravaged or just so maladjusted we see only their peculiarities. And that's a lot of the charm. There's no artificial glitz, no idealizing characters, no beauty on the side drawing the main character from the reality around him. You grow to identify with the people for who they are, and even though there is a comic airiness throughout, these people become very real, too. It's a delightful result, and I don't use the word delightful much any more. Don't miss it.

Ulrik, a sort of taciturn middle aged man, is seen getting out of prison as the story begins. Having served time, he is facing an uncertain world. The former con wants to get away from his past life, but alas, his former boss, Rune, has a different idea, he wants Ulrik to take care of the man that was responsible for sending him to jail.

A newly released prisoner is not exactly what employers look forward to hire, but with a bit of influence from Rune, he is engaged as a auto mechanic in the shop run by a man that wants Ulrik to concentrate in fixing the problems brought to him, and do not get involved with Merete, the lady that takes care of the books in the office of the garage.

Rune is even able to get Ulrik a basement room with his sister, Karen Margarethe, a lady of uncertain age, who takes pity on the man. Karen starts by bringing Ulrik a second hand television set, as well as meals she prepares. The lodger finds a way to make the set to work, being able to catch a Polish broadcast of a program similar to 'Dancing With the Stars', something that hooks the landlady into coming to visit Ulrik with the meals she cooks for him. It does not take long before Karen Margarethe and Ulrik are copulating in his room.

When Ulrik's boss gets sick, he must be taken to a hospital. Merete also begin getting closer to Ulrik, who likes her as well. The ex-con is interested in renewing the relationship with his son, something that he misses. When Rune pressures Ulrik to get rid of the stool pigeon that fingered him, but Rune has a surprise for his former boss.

We were pleasantly surprised by this film when we saw it IFC recently. It takes the viewer a while to get into the picture, but Hans Peter Moland, its director, kept us involved in this tale about a man that wants to reintegrate into society, but his past life keeps getting in his way. The screenplay is Kim Fupz Aakeson. It is a dark film that works well because once one gets into the story, it is a joy ride until the ironic twist at the end.

Stellan Skarsgard, the Swedish actor, has never been better. His Ulrik is an amazing creation that deserves to be seen by serious movie fans. The supporting cast is wonderful. Bjorn Floberg, the amazing Jorunn Kjellsby as Karen Margarethe, and Jannike Krusse do a fantastic job for Mr. Moland.

This is first of all a genuinely interesting character study with an absolutely terrific performance by Stellan Skarsgard as a newly-released convict. It is also consistently funny, and often hilariously so (it may have the three funniest sex scenes in recent cinema history). The humor is understated and dark, but it is always an outgrowth of the characters.

If it has any flaws, it's that the third act features an unlikely coincidence and a moment of predictable overt sentimentality which seemed a bit out of place (but which was nevertheless tremendously effective). But by that point I thought the movie had earned the right to spring a coincidence on us and then go for the heartstrings.

There's a bit of Pulp Fiction in the dialogue, but if I had to name a single movie it most resembled, it would be In Bruges, but without the violence. This was barely released in the U.S., but I think it was one of the 50 best movies of 2011, and one of the 15 best foreign films. If you're a true movie buff, see it! My grades: 80 / A-.

I watched this film while flying KLM (on of the benefits of flying a European airline). From the first scene at the gate where the prison security officer (never call 'em guards) wishes the "hero" good luck, you know that his life outside prison will be difficult. The film lacks and special effects, shoot 'em ups, guys outrunning explosions, and other over-the-top Hollywood style film work. Instead, it was a steady pace, like reading a good novel. You will find yourself in sympathy with the main character, feeling his frustration as his resists violence and submits to the women who desire him (he seems to take no pleasure in most of his encounters, but performs as required. I enjoyed this film and will add it to my collection when I get a chance, I can recommend this film to movie fans and I think you will enjoy it.

This is definitely a different kind of movie. At first I couldn't quite swallow it. Like one of those wired Frennch delicacies that taste so unexpectedly you can't decide whether to chew on or drop them out of your mouth. Yet, if you resist a bit further for your mouth and brain to accommodate, you find that the experience was one so rich and subtle it lingers on your senses for days.

There's not the least bit of glamor or pretence in this movie. The plot seem to develop rather too slowly, the dialogues do not have the sparkle which tingles the intellect and makes you feel smarter, the people are not handsome but slightly old, worn out, ordinary people and the sex scenes are stripped of magic, eroticism and, well, desire. Nevertheless, behind it all there's this gentleness, humour and a kind of sadness almost heartbreaking. Each character has a history of abandonment, abuse, absence of love behind them, which sort of handicaps the way they connect to other people, makes their words and gestures rather abrupt, apparently lacking emotion. And there's this "gentle man", a former cold blooded murderer, who can see their despondency and incidentally tries to give them a bit of what they need. In doing so, he attempts to shut a door on his bleak past. And it's not because he wants to be a new better man, but because he can no longer be the man that he was. He simply needs to be the father and the lover he was refused for many years, he needs to have an ordinary life. "Spring is coming", his reply at the end of the movie, and the small contemplative smile it's a welcome addressed to a life of better choices and the relief after just killing the last "shadow" of his past. Now I can tell no more without spoiling the movie, but I highly recommend it. Also, I recommend that you be patient. Even if you can't enjoy it from the very first, see it through. It will worth your while. I give this movie a 9 out of 10.