The Bothersome Man (2006) - Velkommen (The Bothersome Man (DVD))

Member Name: Markula

Product:	The Bothersome Man (DVD)
Date:	25/02/09 (110 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Quirky, unique, satirical and surreal

Disadvantages: Will probably never get the audience it deserves

Have you ever sat down and thought about just how mundane and mediocre life can be most of the time? We wake up, busy ourselves with various inconsequential errands before going back to sleep only to do it all again the next day. Are we happy? Some people are while others are barely content with the way things have turned out for themselves. But its not all doom and gloom, there are things that are still worth living for like love and various other things that promise personal fulfilment. What if enjoyment was taken away from us be it the pleasures of romance or the simple joy of a warm mug of hot chocolate on a cold evening? Enter Icelandic/Norwegian co-production 'The Bothersome Man'; a film all about the quiet frustration of mediocrity.

Meet Andreas (Trond Fausa Aurvaag) - a forty year old man with no memory of where he has been - who is dropped off at a petrol station in the middle of nowhere by a mysterious coach. He is greeted by a man who escorts him to an equally mysterious city where Andreas is given cash, an apartment and a comfy job at an accountancy firm.

But all is not as well as it seems as Andreas starts to discover how hollow his existence is becoming. Somebody throws themselves out of a high-rise office window and nobody shows concern. Alcohol seems to have little effect, food has lost its sense of taste and sex has become passionless and mundane - the latter is discovered when Andreas easily (perhaps too easily) acquires a wife, Anne Britt (Petronella Barker) and settles into a home life that's obsessed with interior design and superficial dinner parties. Andreas' attention is soon caught by token office cutie Ingeborg (Birgitte Larsen) but this escapade proves equally hollow. Disillusioned with his vapid existence, Andreas decides to leave the city but realises that he can't for reasons beyond his comprehension.

'The Bothersome Man' is unfortunately one of those films that won't get the widespread acclaim that it deserves. I imagine a good deal of you haven't heard of it, neither did I until recently - a friend and I discovered it in the pre-owned section of a Blockbuster and bought it on the strength of what we learnt about it from the box. I'm glad to report that it's definitely worth the risk.

Everything about this film is underplayed superbly; it's difficult to strive for something that feels very laconic without it looking like lazy filmmaking. Performances are handled well. Aurvaag (Andreas) is silent frustration personified visually with a great balance of subtly and distress with just enough charisma to keep things interesting but not melodramatic. Other performances are intentionally shallow and one dimensional but this is not as easy as it looks. It's difficult to perform without emotion well. The world Andreas has been forced into is filled with tediously polite people who talk about the most trivial things like what sofa to get for the living room, basing their decision on a catalogue where all of the sofas might as well be the same one due to their minute similarities.

Not only is this a satire on putting up with the mediocrity of daily life but also on consumerism as a whole. The city looks like it was built by Ikea, efficient yet boring furniture complimented with a subdued colour pallet. Everything is muted here and not just the emotions from the city's inhabitants, dull browns, greys and other mild pastels assault the retina with an abundant feeling of indifference. Production design is impeccable for the film's intended mood.

Naturally, these fine tunings lead to a subtly comedic edge for the narrative to bloom from. The man sent to recover Andreas from the gas station in the middle of nowhere goes to great lengths to put up a 'welcome' sign for any newcomers to the city only to take in down straight after they get off the bus sets the tone for the rest of the film. There is a darkly surreal underpinning here. Overlong conversations about whether a certain shade of blue is deemed 'azure' or 'cool coral', people awkwardly standing around and smiling; there are plenty of little quirks to make you chuckle like the occasional appearances of small grey road sweepers that are accompanied with an unnecessary beeping alarm. Andreas cutting his finger off with the office paper guillotine only for it to mysteriously reattach by the days end (courtesy of the odd grey clad maintenance men who seem to fix all of the city's problems) suggest that not all is what it seems and that there could be some sort of supernatural presence.

The real beauty with 'The Bothersome Man' is that there is an ambiguity to it. Director Jens Lien never takes his audience for chumps, giving us the space to interpret things for ourselves but at the same time never giving us the cold shoulder. Lien keeps the cards close to his chest, revealing plot developments at just the right time, keeping our interest ticking over and always leaving us wanting more. He fairs just as well on the technical side; shots are simple yet graceful, never overselling or complicating a scene more than it needs to. What is this city supposed to represent exactly? Is it a metaphor for heaven? Is it hell? Or is it a bizarre limbo between the two? The great thing is that it's never explained and if you want to read into things further, the clues are there to pick up and store away. This is the kind of film that demands a second viewing as new outlooks emerge. Upon my second viewing of this I noticed the use of a three way road junction; one direction goes to the wasteland/gas station where the coach comes and goes; another goes to the city; where does the third go? This third option is never used during the course of the film leading to all sorts of speculation as to where it could lead (interpretation pending).

Of course, 'The Bothersome Man' won't satisfy everyone because of its apparent oddness. The humour is never gut busting and tends to thrive off of little quirks and observations rather than full on jokes or set piece gags. The foreign language (in this case: Norwegian) may also prove troublesome for some as some people - and I'm quoting here - "don't want to read whilst watching a film". It's this kind of short sightedness that keeps obscure gems like 'The Bothersome Man' from getting the recognition they deserve. But then again, it being an obscure, odd, quirky Scandinavian film is kind of what makes it special.

'The Bothersome Man' is a darkly satirical, surrealist jewel of a film. It's surprisingly simple and highly accessible filmmaking. I enjoyed it immensely and if you enjoy comedy that's a little more intellectual than the comedies of late then I wholeheartedly recommend this one to you. Bear in mind, it's the kind of humour you appreciate differently compared to a film that you full on belly laugh to. This is a film although not of the English language should be universal in appeal regardless of this (supposed) handicap. A celebration/attack of the mediocrity that we all experience most of the time and it's about as close to visual sarcasm as I've ever seen in a film. Seek it out.

Film Specs
Director: Jens Lien
Year: 2006
Language: Norwegian (with English subtitles)
Time Approx: 91 minutes
Certificate: 15

-Markula-

Summary: Recommended