Based on Swedish author Fredrik Backman’s bestselling novel, this feelgood black comedy tracks Ove (Rolf Lassgård), a grumpy, grieving mechanic and “nit-picking obstructionist” who’s just lost his job. A string of Ove’s suicide attempts are thwarted by a series of comically mundane interruptions, which introduce him to new neighbour Parvaneh (Bahar Pars), a straight-talking pregnant Persian with two small children who adore him. Filip Berg plays Ove the young man, giving context to his brittleness in flashback form. It’s moving, then, to see his cantankerousness melted away by Parvaneh’s sunny good nature. By giving voice to blue-collar anxieties before working to resolve them, the film suggests that community can cure almost all ailments.
