Sometimes the simplest films are the best. Bent Hamer, the Norwegian director, is very good at making the mundane seem important and the real seem almost surreal. His chief character here is Odd Horten (Bård Owe), a veteran engine driver of 40 years or so who has to retire but views the prospect as less than enticing. His colleagues give him an awkward presentation, which palpably embarrasses him, and off he goes into the night.

What on earth is he going to do with the remainder of his life? Will he have to sell his beloved boat? And will the nice elderly woman who sometimes cooks his meals continue to do so? It’s all a bit much for a working man with no apparent family to take with equanimity — though he preserves a stoic face to the world.

But strange things keep on happening to him. One night, he goes to the aid of a drunken old codger called Trygve (Espen Skjønberg), who has fallen in the street. Apparently he’s a well-off retired diplomat. He takes Odd to his luxury flat and later persuades him to go for a night-time drive — the diplomat insists he can drive quite safely blindfolded.

When Trygve suddenly has a fatal heart attack, there’s the question of Molly, his dog. Odd has to do the decent thing for her since she seems to be following him.

Hamer orchestrates all this with patient, near-minimalist skill, combining pawky comedy and plenty of heart. The result is a quirky story that remains in the mind, like the director’s previous Eggs and Kitchen Stories did.

He has created a memorable character in O’Horten, assisted by Owe’s refusal to overplay beyond the occasional twitch of his moustache. This won the “Silver Lump” as the Best Norwegian
Film of its year. But lumpish it certainly isn’t.