‘A Man Called Otto’ doesn’t fail to impress

I had the enjoyment of watching “A Man Called Otto” in the theater Sunday. Tom Hanks co-stars with Mariana Treviño in this remake of a Swedish film based off the novel “A Man Called Ove” by Fredrik Backman. The novel was first published in Swedish in 2012 and then in English in 2013. It was on the New York Times’ Best Sellers list for 42 weeks.

Spoiler alert: I won’t give the entire plot away but will give a good portion of it, so it’s up to you if you wish to keep reading.

In the film, Hanks plays Otto Anderson, a curmudgeonly old widower who has lost his will to live since the love of his life, Sonya, passed away six months prior. He plans to commit suicide and almost does. However, his path ends up intersecting with a feisty Latina woman named Marisol and her young family, when they move into the townhouse directly across from him, and the trajectory of his life is forever changed. Despite Otto’s best efforts, he starts to let people in again and comes to realize that although life will never look the same without Sonya, it can still be meaningful and even beautiful. There’s also a fluffy, grey cat and a feud over Chevys versus Toyotas involved, so that’s always fun.

I really liked this film and the overall message. Granted, no film is perfect. A few things to note: There is a bit of language and despite it being mostly a feel-good, “day in the life”-type movie, a handful of scenes were definitely intense. There were also a couple scenes in which I didn’t like how the producers portrayed the relationships between characters, and there were a couple times where I thought, OK, would this really happen in real life? and had to remind myself, Well, it’s only a movie. But those times were few and far between.

Now that I got the negatives out of the way, of which there were not too many, here’s what I did like. A number of good themes come through, one of them being the importance of community. Even though Otto has lost his immediate, blood-related family, his neighbors become like family to him. They’re the ones he sees day in and day out — the ones who check up on him and notice when he doesn’t clear his sidewalk like he normally does whenever it snows. The neighbors share meals and important celebrations like birthdays together. They come together to help each other when one of them has a need, like when a real estate company is trying to unlawfully remove a resident from his townhouse.

It comes down to people helping other people because it’s the right thing to do, not because they expect to get anything in return. That sense of community prevails despite the people being of different ages, backgrounds and ethnicities. The older ones have wisdom and stories to pass on to the younger ones, while the younger ones bring joy and life to the older ones. The movie reminds us that often, death and life are closely linked, with babies being born at the same time people pass away. Even in the face of death, life continues.

Another theme is not giving up on people. Marisol is very persistent in being friendly and talking to Otto, as much as he tries to ignore her — to the point of slamming the door in her face. But ultimately Otto’s grumpiness is not as much a reflection on the kind of person he is as it is a way for him to cope and avoid letting people in. Marisol is able to see through the grumpy exterior. We all need people that will show up for us even when we don’t want to show up for ourselves, but maybe more importantly we need to be that person in somebody else’s life.

Interspersed throughout Otto’s present reality are scenes depicting Otto as a young man, following the story of him meeting his wife and the two building a life together. Besides it being a sweet love story, it captures the viewer’s interest more than a strictly chronological telling could. The flashbacks give us a window to see how Otto became the person he now is. That’s another lesson of the film; everyone has a backstory and a reason why they are the way they are.

Also, while not a comedy, the movie has several funny moments, a good reminder that there are not many situations in which a little humor can’t help. Laughter is good medicine.

Finally, the film teaches us that you don’t have to have a huge circle of acquaintances to make an impact on this world. It’s the old adage: “To the world, you may just be one person; but to one person you may be the world.” - Since I’m already writing about movies, I watched another movie recently entitled “The Art of Racing in the Rain.” I only later learned that there is book by the same name. Anyway, I really enjoyed this one as well and would definitely recommend it. It’s hard to write too much about it without giving away the plot, but basically the movie tells the life story of a golden retriever named Enzo. The dog serves as the narrator, voiced by Kevin Costner, as he provides an at times comical, at times philosophical commentary on his owner’s life.

Enzo’s owner, Danny (played by Milo Ventimiglia) is a race car driver and struggles to balance his racing dreams with taking care of his family. “Racing in the rain” becomes a metaphor for how to deal with tough situations in life.

“When I’m in a race car, I’m the creator of my own destiny. ‘That which you manifest is before you.’ Create your own conditions and rain is just rain,” says Danny.

In other words, you can’t stop the rain but you can choose how you react to it. You can adapt to it or live in fear of sliding off the track. But if you embrace it, “rain is just rain.”

Anyway, the movie was thought-provoking and definitely pulled at my heartstrings. Besides, who doesn’t love a movie about man’s best friend (although it is more than that)? So, if you get a chance, watch one or both movies and let me know what you think.

Striking a

Chord...

TRG editor