Based on the popular Jonas Jonasson novel of the same name, you’ll be thrilled to hear that this Felix Herngren production remains wholly faithful to the somewhat descriptive, elongated title. As this offbeat, surrealistic comedy, as promised, tells the wondrous story of The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared.
The titular protagonist is Allan Karlsson (Robert Gustafsson), a mischievous elderly resident, with an inclination to blow stuff up from time to time. One day, he escapes out of the window at his care facility to go for an adventure, taking the train to the first place that springs to mind. En route, he inadvertently finds himself the owner of a stranger’s bag – which soon transpires to have millions of euros within it. Suddenly he becomes the target of a dangerous gang of criminals who the money belongs to. However this is not the first time Allan has been let loose on a perilous escapade – as his unpredictable journey brings up a host of old incidents, as he recounts a quite incredible life to new friends Julius (Iwar Wiklander), Benny (David Wiberg) and Gunilla (Mia Skäringer).
In a way, this comedy shares similarities to Forrest Gump, with a premise not too far removed, in that we’re exploring the life of a man, blissfully unaware of his own significance, who has just so happened to get caught up in several incredibly impactful historical events and scenarios. Yet this is a far less sentimental and mawkish offering, as a cynical piece that has its tongue firmly in its cheek throughout. Given the nature of the narrative, the flashbacks into Allan’s past work as a catalyst to explore history, though it’s perhaps not expanded upon enough, as we don’t get a true sense for the changing of politics and society. Instead it remains as a mere supporting theme – though it’s understandable, as we see everything from Allan’s perspective and through his own memory, and he was rather oblivious to it all.
The way Allan’s life is interwoven with these important moments in history is a little contrived and silly, but Herngren has maintained such a frivolous tone throughout, he has earned the licence to be surreal and whimsical in parts, and for the viewer to suspend their disbelief accordingly. Allan is a brilliant protagonist too, as somebody so naïve about what is going on around him. He just wants to blow stuff up. To counteract that, there is an overriding poignancy to this title, born out of nostalgia and that precarious sense of finality given his age, while there’s a nice message in here about remaining young at heart.
This film is yet another gem to come out of Scandinavian cinema, which is one of the only regions that could present a movie whereby a pet cat be found dead in the opening scene, and then a mere matter of seconds later, the audience are in stitches, as Herngren plays on the notion of realism and raw human emotions with a contagious flippancy and absurdity. Plus, even Brick Top from Snatch, Mr. Alan Ford, makes an appearance in this, in case you weren’t convinced already.
The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared is released on DVD on October 27th.
