The Bothersome Man

"I miss so much."


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{This Norwegian film (English Subtitles) is the second one from that country to really impress me in the past month or so. (‘Reprise’, a film about young writers in Norway, was the other.)

The Bothersome Man is an existential mindtrip about an accountant who arrives as the lone passenger on a bus to the outskirts of a ‘perfect’ city, not knowing where he came from or why he’s there. What he finds is a city where there are no children, no litter, and everyone gets along…with a new job and apartment waiting for him…but he soon comes to realize that something is 'off'.

The film just blew me away. Minimalist filmmaking at its best. There is virtually no soundtrack, with lots of slow panning shots and still frames...washed out colours and sterile enviroments. As someone who just can’t seem to get in step with the rest of society, this film really spoke to me. Despite seemingly robust economies, medical and technological advancements and having the world at our fingertips, there is a growing sense (for me at least) that something is not right with the world we live in…not just in terms of the deteriorating environment or the brutal poverty, hunger and wars plaguing certain corners of the globe…but in a metaphysical way as well. But not everyone feels this way…many are either oblivious, ignorant, or choose to ignore these 'feelings'. So the question is, who is right? Those with their head in the sand, resigned to the idea that there’s nothing they can do about it…content to live their lives and squeeze whatever joy they can out of their keyhole existence…making the most of out life as is...or those who can’t shake the feeling that they're living in someone else’s fantasy world?

A brilliant film.}