Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

A Man Called Otto

This film surprised the hell out of me! Now Yom Hanks is one of my favourite all time actors who I think has truly given us some of the most memorable performances ever put to screen. Now that being said over the last few films he’s given us with Elvis, Pinocchio those were very makeup heavy films and when it came down to his performance wasn’t on par to what he’s shown us time and time again. As he is best at playing everyday characters with great arcs that will tug on your heart he did that with his take on Mr Rogers, the criminally underrated News Of The World and even Toy Story 4 to name a few. Now when I saw this trailer and the marketing for this Swedish remake I was skeptical for the reason that it seemed very mediocre in the way the trailer was pieced together and it felt incredibly bland from how the marketing presented this film. Now after seeing the film I can say the trailers and press for this film does not do the film justice at all as A Man Called Otto is a heartwarming tale that will have you in tears by the last act of this film and at the centre of it is a truly special performance by Mr Tom Hanks. 

Firstly, This film hits you like a freaking punch to the heart as the film centres around this man who’s life is in pieces after the passing of the love of his life  and does not know what to do with himself after he’s forced into retirement. Now this film could have easily of gone the route and had him be a curmudgeon and be really simplistic in the execution of its plot but it doesn’t do that. As the depths this man has and the sheer weight of the Emotion you feel through every ounce of this frame will have you smiling with tears streaming down your cheeks as it explores the human condition of what it is to grieve the person you lost but also finding meaning in life after you suffer such a tragedy. The film takes on very real and heavy handed topics that are shown in a very raw and honest light that shocked me honestly with how far they went with some of the tones as my impression was this would be a ok at best comedy drama but it is so much more then that. The way the neighbours give Hanks’s character a reason to keep living and slowly open up his very closed off emotional heart is sincere and the sheer brilliant presentation of the narrative keeps you engaged the whole time and never lets up as you are constantly either in awe of what Hank’s is giving onscreen are always wanting to know what the final outcome for this broken man will be and you are never disengaged from what’s happening onscreen and Marc Forster captures this beautiful tale in such a gripping way and the way he intertwined the serious hard hitting elements with the dry humour balanced out amazingly well. 

Secondly, the performance by Tom Hanks is simply one of the best of his career! Now again  as I mentioned previously Tom gives his best work when he’s playing the Everyman type characters and here he shows sides of him I hadn’t seen him explore ever. As he’s always known for picking the type of roles where you root for him or he’s the warm hearted character you fall in love with instantly due to his charm and energetic performance at hand. That being said here he shows quite the switch up in character as he is a very sharply mean, impatient, hot tempered but yet sad individual which he explores to such a heartbreaking degree you are in awe of what he’s showing onscreen. He brings quite the deadpan delivery of humour to it while also keeping its focus on the deep emotion underneath the surface and wow does Tom Hanks deliver what I think is one of his finest works he’s ever put to film. Now the rest of the cast all give tremendous performances and ping pong off Hanks’s character in a very natural way that makes you think he’s known them for years but it’s the sheer magnitude of this gut wrenching performance by Hanks that will have you captivated from start to finish. 

Lastly, A Man Called Otto defied by expectations hugely as what I thought would be a very mediocre comedy drama surprised the hell out of me. It presents a heartbreaking and yet loving tale of mourning loved ones and knowing that even after the darkest days theirs always a reason to get up in the morning and that message is beautifully shown onscreen in such entertaining ways that will touch your heart all anchored by a truly masterful performance by Tom Hanks showing such amazing depth to this character. A Man Called Otto is a film more people should see as I hope it isn’t forgotten by the end of the year as it is definitely worth seeing for the performance and the heartwarming story. 

This film centres around a man who’s lost the love of his life and finds no reason to live until he finds the people around him want to warm that heart of his up 

Rated PG - 13 : Suicide Attempts|Mature Thematic Material|Language

Tom Hanks : Tom Hanks returns to what he does best ripping my heart out playing the Everyman. Hanks delves into the headspace of this heartbroken man who’s been grieving in a very tough way the loss of his great love his wife and on the outside he seems very rude and bitter but it’s due to his heart breaking inside. The way Tom Hanks is able to bring this complex and emotionally driven person to the surface is incredible as at first glance it seems he’s going to play the role as this get off my lawn sort of character type but he avoids that sort of stereotypical character trope we have seen a million times and really digs deep into why this guy is the way he is. As when we meet the character he at the ends of his ropes and has no reason to live and is in a very grim place emotionally at even wanting to continue living and the emotionally dark places he goes shocked me how far he went as it gets incredibly raw with emotion and it will hit you like a punch to the chest. As without spoiling the film he does attempt to take his life quite a few times and the fact he has to think that he is so dead inside without her and that the only way to be happy is to be psychically gone is heartbreaking and that emotional emptiness Hanks showcases in such a emotional and gripping way that will have you invested in his performance the moment you see him. Now The layers he sheds as the film progresses is amazing as I mentioned he is very emotionally closed off and doesn’t socialize but it’s not until his very kind new neighbours just want to form a bond and refuse to open this man’s heart does he start to let people in his heart again. That arc we see Tom’s character go on is incredible as you can see the emotional toughness on him but he’s aching for that warmth of friendship and the way he can just use his facial expressions to tell you all you need to know of what is in his soul is so powerfully shown by Hanks. As sure their is some deadpan humour in his performance but for 99% of it he’s playing it very serious and it’s amazing as this character is a Broken soul that learns to feel again and know he’s worth sticking around and Hanks opens his heart and bares all of his deep raw emotions on the screen in a performance that is one of his best in years. I cannot speak more highly about his fantastic work in this film as it’s a very subtle performance but very moving and Hanks will bring a smile across your face while having you in a puddle of tears Tom Hanks is truly outstanding with his work in this film. 

Marc Forster : I freaking love this man’s style of direction! Now Marc Forster is a filmmaker who’s work I’ve seen over the years from films like Finding Neverland, Stranger Than Fiction, World War Z and Christopher Robin I’ve seen quite a few of his films. So I have a sense of what his style is in a lot of his films and the main component to all of those films this one included is heart he always packs his films to the brim with such heart and soul. As a Man Called Otto he easily could of made it lean more into the comedy aspect and just have Hanks play the grumpy Old man who is yelling at kids to turn the music down but he didn’t. He has this great backstory to this very interesting character and explores why he is so emotionally closed off and then just revels layers upon layers of who this guy is and it’s so greatly done in a way that never felt cheesy or overly dramatic. The themes he explores of Grieving, trauma, social bonding and even letting love into your heart all of that is presented in such a engaging way that never felt overly coated in sweetness but it’s authentically shown in a way that will touch your heart as Marc Forster loves exploring humans and showing the human heart element of their personalities and I love that. As I said before he could of made A Man Called Otto a very paint by numbers movie but he didn’t he brought such very emotional themes to the film anchored by a truly special performance by Tom Hanks and also showing the people around him and how they care and love for him and you walk out of the movie feeling all warm in your heart and that’s what he wants the audience to take away from it is the positive message of being kind to one another. Now sure he also explores other elements in the film that at times can be very raw in terms of emotion but at the core of the story he captures this heartwarming story with all the feel good nature  you’d expect but also with a great touch of well written emotion that will have you in tears Marc Forster has knocked it out of the park with his work on a Man Called Otto.