Review: O'Horten

On the eve of his retirement, a train engineer's life starts to derail when he stops following his usual routines. O'Horten, director/writer Bent Hamer's tale of the limbo of transition, is a slow simmer that doesn't even approach a boil, and is not likely to appeal to most audiences.

Odd Horten (Baard Owe) has an orderly, simple and lonely life until he reluctantly allows coworkers to invite him to a party, only to get stuck outside. From that moment on, everything seems out of control. Through most of the film, Odd Horten has things happen - and done - to him, yet most of them are relatively ordinary with uneven elements of the absurd, until he finally starts taking action to stop being a victim of circumstance.

Some of the choices Hamer has Odd Horten make are questionable and seem out of character, but then the character isn't all that well developed. It's as if Hamer doesn't trust actor Baard Owe with the character enough. Owe (Riget, Zentropa) doesn't have much to do but be a victim of circumstance ad nauseum throughout the film.

The opening sequences of trains through tunnels and within train yards are beautiful, although not the best substitute for setting up Odd Horten's life. Many of the scenes are very darkly lit, making the slow pacing challenging. The denouement is rewarding, but one needs to stay awake for it.

O'Horten is most likely to appeal to those in transition in their own life.