THE BOTHERSOME MAN 
**** out of *****

Reviewed by Root

Screening in the 2007 New Zealand International Film Festival
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Genres
Comedy
Drama

2006
Directed by
Jens Lien
Written by
Per Schreiner
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

One of the great things about film festivals is you are exposed to films that you would otherwise never have heard of. And especially with some of the lesser known films, you can often show up to a film and have little idea what it is truly about. I honestly can’t say what initially attracted me to The Bothersome Man, but its clever story and black humour left me pleasantly amused and with the strange desire to discuss interior design.

Andreas, the protagonist, starts his journey by throwing himself in front of a train to assumedly end the drudgery of his meaningless life as an office drone. Instead he finds himself transported to a strange, sterile city somewhere in Iceland, and immediately set up with all the things he needs to be happy: A job with a jolly, cheerful boss who expects basically nothing from him; a cute Nordic girlfriend who has a large house and a fetish for interior design; and a mistress to boot.

Unfortunately for Andreas, there is trouble in paradise, and it soon becomes apparent to him that once he has what he thought he wanted, that there is a sour note to his new life. There is no flavour to the food that he consumes, no effect from alcohol, no music, no litter or graffiti, nothing that would elicit emotion or feeling. Everything from work to sex becomes methodical and pointless. It is there, because it is part of a happy balanced life, but there is no joy to be derived from the activity itself.

Despite his growing unease and testing the limits of his invisible cage, Andreas still tries to tries to fix what it is that he thinks is making him unhappy. But as he tries to exchange one thing for another, he starts to realise that it is the lack of discontent in others that is fuelling his own discontent with his new life. As he bends the will of others to try and satisfy himself, he finds their calm acceptance of their new circumstances to only dissatisfy him further. Finally he comes to the realisation that he cannot be happy with this new life, any more that he could in his old life.

The telling of Andreas’ tale is subtle, and unassuming. It doesn’t force themes or excessive exposition on the viewer, but allows the audience to observe the subject, and reflect on their own lives. The humour too is subtle, and is artfully expressed in the widespread obsession all the characters have with interior design; flicking through glossy books looking for the perfect sofa and discussing shades of blue at dinner parties like there is a perfect combination, when in reality, they would be content regardless. At times some of the scenes seemed a little padded out, and this is possibly because at 95 minutes it is coming in a lot shorter than most of what Hollywood is now putting out.

It was a fairly minor flaw in what was an excellent film that I thoroughly recommend you try for yourself. In many ways, it felt a little like a passive-aggressive Fight Club but without the self-realisation and closure at the end. The Bothersome Man has a natural conclusion, but the moral is left for the audience to decipher as they reflect on their own lives, and their own choice of sofa.

This film will screen in Wellington at The Film Archive on July 21 at 8:15pm and July 23 at 4:00pm and also screening at The Paramount on August 4 at 3:30pm.

Please refer to the Film Fest homepage for more information on screenings in other parts of the country

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