Salt Lake Tribune Review
Deadpan whimsy is a tough mood to get right, but Norwegian writer-director
Bent Hamer ("Kitchen Stories") nails it with this tale of a railroad engineer, named Odd Horten (played by Bård Owe), who is retiring after decades on the Oslo-to-Bergen run. Without a train to run on time, Horten finds himself at loose ends, unmarried, without many friends or a hobby to occupy him. His wanderings through Oslo lead to some adventures, an encounter with an eccentric older gentleman (Espen Skjønberg) and an admission of regret that he never ski-jumped like his mother. Owe maintains the same half-serious, half-bemused expression no matter the circumstances, neatly underplaying the strange humor in Horten's search for fulfillment.
-- Sean P. Means
The rundown: An Oslo train engineer (Bård Owe) retires but has trouble filling his time, in
Bent Hamer's low-key and slightly surreal comedy. Subtitled; 90 minutes. (SPM)
Synopsis: The moment the train leaves the station without train driver Odd Horten aboard, he realizes that the path ahead is a journey without printed timetabels and well-known stations. Horten has retired, and the platform does not feel like a safe place anymore.
