I love this movie so much

Simply A Masterpiece

Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

I thought the movie was very well done and made some very interesting interpretations meant to be thought about the real world, cities, etc... all things people have said, but what I didn't see was that this place is a form of purgatory for people who committed suicide. I believe that this is why there were so many middle aged middle class white people. Also the lack of children and not too many elderly. I agree with most posters that the first scene was not real because of the kissing being the same lifeless, emotionless stuff. But I do think that Andreas killed himself anyway before he got there. He seems rather depressed at all times and never so much as asks questions until he finds the violin music. I also realize that the others took some time possibly to get used to this place and started to understand what it took to at least get the "good" things that were there so they fell in line to at least be able to receive these things. Andreas took it too far and tried to reach the Heaven where people who didn't kill themselves went and then he did not fall back in line when given the opportunity before they took him back to the bus stop. I think that others may have experienced this and when they were told "aren't you happy here" by the older woman at the end they may have decided that this was probably a good idea as opposed to going with the men in the jump suits. Just my interpretation. Curious to hear what others think.

This is a bothersome story and film because it raises more questions than it answers. Though that, in turn, allows viewers to reflect upon the different interpretations that can be applied to it.It is still, however, an entertaining movie – in the same way that a David Lynch movie is always entertaining. The difference between this and any Lynch movie, though, is that Bothersome Man is indeed unadulterated, allegorical fantasy whereas most of that from Lynch is grounded in reality. Comedy, however, is not a label I would have attached to this film.The brief storyline that appears on the main title page is sufficient for any viewer's needs; nothing for me to add, in that regard.What's more important, I think, is to highlight the symbolism that pervades the entire cinematic experience, beginning with the opening scene of two lovers hugging and kissing at a train station – but making it look like they are trying to consume each other. At first, it's somewhat amusing; but as they relentlessly continue for over a long, long minute – and watched by another man – looking like automatons, the action takes on a distinctly creepy aspect, especially as we hear the loud, sloppy-kissing noise reach a crescendo and as the watching man jumps to his death in front of an oncoming train...As an indictment of modern consumerism, and the direct effect it can have upon some of us, I think it's an opening scene that has no equal. As much as I like and admire Koyannisqatsi (1982) for its denunciation of industrial degradation and consumerism, two 'dead' people ruthlessly kissing, without a hint of emotion, hits you viscerally between the frontal lobes. And more so, as the watching guy decides to end it all.And the dead is one of the thematic keys to this story: the dead countryside where The Bothersome Man alights from a bus to a big WELCOME sign at a gas station; the deadpan expressions upon all the workers in the office where he works eventually; the mostly dead silence within the office building; the dead nature of love-making between The Bothersome Man and successive partners; the dead texture of the de-saturated colors; and the implacable expressions upon the clean-up crews in the city as they scurry about removing any trace of human mess. Is this heaven or hell?Throughout it all, The Bothersome Man, Andres (Trond Aurvaag), intrepidly pushes on, trying to make sense of what is happening. Until, one day, he hears the sound of beautiful music coming from a city basement in an old tenement block. He investigates and finally gets to a dark and deeply ensconced apartment occupied by a single man, Hugo (Per Schaaning) who, apparently, also has similar misgivings about the nature of their current world – and who listens to the ineffably lyrical music through a narrow crack in the massively concreted wall.Unhappily for Hugo, Andres gets tools and sets about demolishing the wall to widen the crack in order to crawl into the long tunnel within (shades of Alice in Wonderland!), and reach the ever so small light at its end. During this sequence of scenes, the heavy sexual symbolism is quiet apparent, conjuring up a variety of interpretations. Each viewer will no doubt settle on one that appeals most.From this point on, it's counter-productive for your viewing pleasure to say any more; best you see the movie to discover what Andres finds when he gets to the light and what happens thereafter. Suffice to say that there is full closure (no pun intended, as you will find out) when the credits roll, leaving me with no doubt about what the plot – the entire sequence of events – is really trying to show. If you wish, look up my reviews of Donnie Darko (2001), Mulholland Drive (2001) and Pan's Labyrinth (2006) for some thematic hints.The filming is excellent; the dialog is minimal – but that is no disadvantage; the music is muted, almost funeral-like; the recursive and elliptical story and editing might tend to confuse, but bear with it – you will be rewarded; and the acting – displaying dull, bland, frightfully boring characters, for the most part – certainly suits the mise-en-scene.Highly recommended, but not for kids – they just won't get it, never mind the sex scenes.May 28, 2012

The Bothersome Man (2006)Of course this is weird. It's a surreal version of dying and heaven (or hell) is a little shack in the middle of nowhere that is a way to get a second chance. At something. Life, maybe.This is a little like the crop of comic serious surreal movies in the last twenty years where you part laugh and part are gasping in appreciation for the reality invented. I'm thinking "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" or "Being John Malkovich" or even "Inception." And at first it's just a terrific experience, going with the flow, which is understated in broad expanses of deadpan landscape and people alike. Eventually you adjust to the newness and want a thread of meaning or something to carry it along.And this mostly succeeds most of the time. Which is not quite like a brilliant knock you over film. Jump in and wallow with the main character, who seems to have some kind of free will but within an invisible restraint. I mean, taking a ride back to life for some kind of reappraisal, even if you know it's all a mirage, means maybe being radical and not a bit submissive.Not for this Norwegian. The humor comes and goes, the logic certainly goes more than comes, but the mood, the charm and ease of all the characters is enjoyable, almost heavenly, in a weird not quite coincidental way. I would check this out. I know a lot of people will get bored in the first few minutes because the wry dry humor, the lack of dialog, and even the lack of anything quite happening will drive them batty. But you know if you're not like that, and can get into a "Paris Texas" or "Dead Man" or lightweight Ingmar Bergman sensibility. Try it. I liked it a lot, even if I got a bit restless by the last third.

The Bothersome Man is a smart, surreal movie that makes you reevaluate what you're doing with your life and what makes you tick. When you see these people in zombie like trances doing everyday events and realize that's what we do and what we want in real life it really hits close to home. This is a surprisingly effective movie that at the end leaves you asking questions about your direction and not so much the movie. Andreas is the main character whose life we get a 3rd person view of as he tries to adapt to a new life after being relocated. In the beginning he seems to be the most popular guy in town as everyone at work caters to him and he's invited to dinners etc. A good example of this is in the scene with his new boss who offers him an envelope of an unspecified amount of cash saying "here's a little something to get you started". Andreas even gets a girlfriend 20 minutes into the movie, which he eventually moves in with. This seems like an ideal living situation as his girlfriend is an established interior designer, attractive, and doesn't ever nag about anything he does. But Andreas is unfulfilled with their relationship as with everything else in this world. He then begins an affair with a coworker named Ingeborg who he eventually leaves Anne for and claims he is in love with. After telling Ingeborg how he feels she tells him that she is also seeing other coworkers and says all of the relationships are "nice". Soon after we see Andreas at a train station where he tries to end his misery and to the audience's disappointment doesn't come about. Still looking for salvation Andreas meets Hugo who has found a hole which music can be heard coming out of. So they embark on a mission to get to the other side, will it be better or will it be worse? "The Bothersome Man" shows us society's obsession with appearances and its materialistic mindset. It does a great job making fun of us by filling homes with IKEA products that the characters spend each lunch picking out. I think he is mostly poking fun at the dull Scandinavian society and its high suicide rates. For example there is a scene in the movie where Andreas comes across a man who jumped out of a building and onto a spiked fence. Also, Andreas fed up with this world cuts his finger off and then later jumps in front of a train; this is one of the most weirdest/outrageous scenes I've seen. This world created by Lien is equivalent to purgatory where there is no punishment or reward. In this world drink after drink Andreas never got drunk, sex was unfulfilling, and no matter how many times he tried he couldn't kill himself. This movie reminded me of "Fight Club" and how both main characters were kind of out of sync with the world around them. In "Fight Club" Tyler Durden creates a second persona that does everything he wouldn't and in this movie the awakened Andreas is the equivalent to Tyler Durden. After a while he wakes up and tries to escape the bland life he is now apart of by escaping through a hole in a wall. Lien does a great job with continuity in this movie meaning when a character has a half full cup in his hand and they cut away then come back they have the glass in the same hand and its not full or empty showing that the shot was done another day. Nowadays directors are more worried about the sound effects and overlook the little things like is that character wearing the bracelet on the same hand as yesterdays filming? Since I took TV Production for three years in high school it's hard for me not to look for continuity or voice overs which drive me nuts. Lien does the little things well he's got great lighting in each shot, never leaves you wondering why something is in a shot and brings about an interesting topic. This film really worked for me because it not only mocks Scandinavians' but the western society and what's wrong with it. The only real issue I had was with the man who commits suicide by jumping on a spiked fence. Because you eventually find out this world has no death but he laid motionless forcing you to assume he was dead and this never gets answered in my opinion. Andreas is the only main character as others come and go and never do more than support his him. His first girlfriend Anne Britt is an interior designer who at the surface seems perfect for him but eventually turns out to be dull. This leads him to Ingeborg who he starts an affair with and falls in love with. He soon finds out that she was with a handful of other men and that what he felt was not real. Andreas eventually meets Hugo in the bathroom of a bar complaining about how nothing tastes good anymore and how he can't even get drunk anymore. He follows Hugo home to find the hole in the wall with that is filled with children's laughter and birds chirping. Lien doesn't have a lot on the resume but "The Bothersome Man" is more than a jump start to a great career but a preview of an up and coming director. If this is any indication of his talent and potential as a story teller, Lien has a bright future and we can only hope that his future movies don't take so long to make it overseas for our viewing pleasure. So take a seat and enjoy the ride as Director Jens Lien takes you from the comfort of your home to the dreamlike world that is "The Bothersome Man".