La nouvelle vie de Monsieur Horten

After 40 years working on the Norwegian railway Odd Horten is due to retire. His job has been his time and he is unsure what to do with his free time after leading such a conventional life. However, on the evening of his retirement party his life starts to become full of surprises and far less predictable.

He finds himself falling into amusing, unconventional, bizarre and awkward situations. His new life becomes filled with little adventures. Just as he was wondering what to do with his future after 40 years of routine were coming to an end, his eyes are opened to the variety of lives around him.

A slow, low key, dry and entertaining comedy.

Odd Horton is dependable and cautious Norwegian train engineer facing retirement. His fellow train workers throw him a big retirement party. He gets locked out of his own party and tries to sneak back in climbing up a scaffolding. He finds a boy who asks him to stay while he sleeps. He oversleeps and misses his train. It's a series of disjointed rambling situations leading him to reconsider his life. As a character, Odd Horten lacks any charisma. It starts off slowly. When it turns strange, the movie lost me. I would rather it go crazy. I couldn't really follow him down the rabbit hole. The movie is well-made and it aims to be profound. I don't hate the attempt but it's not for me.

From PASTO, COLOMBIA-Via: L. A. CA; CALI, COLOMBIA & ORLANDO, FL

FIRST... Let us FOCUS on the Title´s content and context!

And...First order of business: The IMDb Intro Blurb on O'HORTEN: If you haven't read it...DON'T! If you have, forget about it and read my Review! The Blurb just doesn't prepare you for the tone and feel of the movie! The only thing I'll reveal about the "Storyline" occurs only 15 or 20 minutes into the movie, so no harm in that, eh?

ODD (Yes, that's his name!) has never been late nor missed his train in nearly 40 years as an engineer. He seems just a tad anxious about his soon- to-be retirement. His house-of-cards life is about to undergo a seismic shift and collapse. This is foreshadowed just a bit as things begin to spin out of control on the eve of his last scheduled trip at the helm as engineer...which cause him to.....Well.... Better You see what then ensues!!!

It's doubtful many people will agree with me on this, but the ONLY movie O'HORTEN vaguely reminds me of is 1979's BEING THERE. Both have a slightly surreal feel to them, and the lead characters (Remember Peter Sellers as Chauncey Gardiner?) do share a lot of things in common. A chain of serendipitous occurrences lead up to events that early on seemed obvious, but later, fades into the background as something just not meant to be! If an ending has a lot to do with defining a film's genre...Then please, be patient and hold-off on classifying this one until you see the end credits.

BTW, the music is delicate, haunting and provides absolutely perfect accompaniment. The photography is also superb and pleasantly stylized.

8*.....ENJOY! / DISFRUTELA!

I'm not certain if this is the first Norwegian film I've ever seen but, if it is, it's a wonderful beginning! I found the film to be utterly enchanting: Charming, quirky, eccentric, and delightful! The cinematography is flawless -- every frame was interesting to watch. The score is an absolute joy, fitting the film to perfection, yet never intruding or proclaiming itself.

I was deeply impressed by the natural, highly specific work done by the actors: They performed with great truth and honesty, saying more with a look or a gesture than they did with words.

I must confess to being something of a railroad lover -- so the inclusion of locomotives in the film was an added benefit. There is a strange dialectic between the freedom of travel and the limited mobility of trains that fits the characters and enriches the story.

So if you're the type who enjoys simple, direct, character-driven storytelling, this is the film for you. I look forward to seeing it again, and hope it will be released on DVD in the US soon!

What I most liked about "O'Horten" was the quiet likability of all the characters, and from the most staid to the most eccentric, characters they all are. It's almost as if Norwegians come from a different place than the rest of us.

We've seen lots of Swedish films over the decades, but these stoic Norwegians make the Swedes seem positively Mediterranean in comparison! The emotions expressed quietly - very quietly - in the film include love, respect, loyalty, and non-judgmental relationships between strangers. What's more, it's quietly funny! Of course, there is a bigger point, too; i.e., It's never too late.

Baard Owe, perfectly cast as Odd Horten, is wonderfully supported by a cast that includes Espen Skjonberg and Henny Moan. A quiet, captivating film.