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Vanessa Taylor
Humanities
Professor Osburn
November 1th, 2016
Foreign Movies
Considered a melting pot, America is a country that is diversely driven in language, race,
and culture. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines melting pot as “ a place where a variety of
races, cultures, or individuals assimilate into a cohesive whole”(Merriam Webster). In order to
enhance the assimilation process I suggest watching foreign movies. Foreign movies are
broadcasted on either websites, television, or in landmark theatres. Filmed in various countries
that may otherwise never be seen, these international films offer a window into the lives and
cultures of others living in our country. There are a multitude of genres that are offered, some are
educational, adventurous, comical or in the case of the movie “A man called Ove” tragically
dramatic.
The movie “A man called Ove” was directed by Hannes Holm. He was born on
November 26, 1962 in Lidingo, Sweden. He has many films that he has directed but a few other
popular ones are: The Anderssons Rock the Mountains, Klassefesten, and Adam & Eva. This
movie is a very heartfelt movie. It is about an old man named Ove that is grieving over the
recent death of his wife of many years. In addition to his wife’s tragic passing he loses his long
time job at the railroad company. Bitter with life, Ove plans to commit suicide in order to reunite
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with his deceased wife. Fortunately fate offers Ove an opportunity to live beyond his despair. In
the beginning of movie Ove appears to be the grumpiest old man anyone could ever meet, the
story gradually reveals why he behaves the way he does. Through the course of his life “Ove’s”
life has become routine and people are apathetic to his behaviors. When new neighbors move in
things begin to change in Ove’s patterned lifestyle to bring him back on course with existence.
“A man called Ove” was filmed in 2016 in a present day setting in Sweden. Viewers
get a perspective of what life is like for the Swedish middle class. From the film one will notice
that the housing is different than what most Americans would be used to, the Swedes live in
smaller houses. Swedish people are less likely to drive cars and are able to get through their daily
activities by walking, bicycles, buses or trains. Throughout the movie I noted the variances of
daily life, simply seeing street signs that are not the ones familiar to ones we see in America.
