Den brysomme mannen (2006)

Director:

Jens Lien

Writer:

Per Schreiner (written by)

Release Date:

24 August 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Mystery

Plot:

Forty-year-old Andreas arrives in a strange city with no memory of how he got there. He is presented with a job...

Plot Keywords:

Escape | Cellar | Death | Bus | Dinner Party

Awards:

20 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Trond Fausa Aurvaag	...	Andreas
Petronella Barker	...	Anne Britt
Per Schaaning	...	Hugo
Birgitte Larsen	...	Ingeborg
Johannes Joner	...	Håvard
Ellen Horn	...	Trulsen
Anders T. Andersen	...	Harald
Sigve Bøe	...	Liten Mann
Hanne Lindbæk	...	Vigdis
Ivar Lykke	...	Kollega 1
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jan Tore Abrahamsen	...	Vaktmester
Tanja Dahlø	...	Kollega 2
Hanne Dieserud	...	Azur Kvinnen
Dag Håvard Engebråten	...	Forvalter 4
Jan Egil Engnes	...	Forvalter 3
Benny Glaerum	...	Forvalter 2
Kirsten Grimstad	...	Nabo 2
Mette K. Haugen	...	Kyssende jente
Svanur Ivarsson	...	Bussjåfør
Bjørn Jenseg	...	Eldre Mann
Anders Kartomten	...	Nabo 1
Johns Kristensen	...	Mann Pâ Do
Aldun G. Magnaes	...	Gutt Somkliner
Gard Petersen	...	Forvalter 1
Severin Roald	...	Ingeborgs nye mann
Jørgen Storm Rosenberg	...	Mann Pâ Perrong
Jo Strømgren	...	Spiddet Mann
Per-Kaare Svendsen	...	Anne Britts nye mann
Annette Teilstad	...	Forvarelsesdame
Sverre Tofte	...	Mann Lik Andreas

Also Known As:

The Bothersome Man (Canada: English title) (festival title)
Vandræðamaðurinn (Iceland)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

Norway | Iceland

Language:

Norwegian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Norway:15 | Argentina:16 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Australia:MA | Germany:16 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:R16

Filming Locations:

Iceland

Company:

Sandrew Metronome Norge

Soundtrack:

Feeling Good

Laconic screen gem

Imagine a world, in which everyone treats anyone nicely, no foul word is ever uttered, office bickering is nonexistent, and your boss invites the office crowd regularly to self-cooked dinners where you can chat about latest interior design styles. Everything is neat, pleasant - well, just nice. In other words: you are in hell. After being dropped off in the middle of nowhere, mid-thirties Andreas (Trond Fausa Aurvaag) starts a new job as a book-keeper in a small, clean city. From the beginning he feels foreign in this proper, impersonal world of superficial kindness, surrounded by pleasant but lifeless interior architecture and likewise colleagues. Food tastes of nothing, drinks don't get you drunk, no children anywhere; after initial steps of fitting in, Andreas searches for ways to escape the bland new world. He doesn't know where he came from anymore, but still remembers rich tastes, true feelings - anything beyond the non-committal flatline life he's leading now. THE BOTHERSOME MAN resonates ideas of Huxley and Kafka, but here the cruelty is the omnipresent noncommittal neatness. Unlike PLEASANTVILLE this is not about narrow-minded bigotry, more a fable of our urban free-world civilisation of fitting in. It mostly reminds one of the ingenious FIGHT CLUB scene, in which Edward Norton walks through a mock-IKEA catalogue. Spiced with macabre humour, this Scandinavian laconic tale convinces on every level: story, characters, and relevance. A true screen gem. 8/10