Den Brysomme mannen

It seemed like the film was headed somewhere every time Andreas did something bold or daring, in defiance of the hazy, disinterested world around him, like most of us would upon finding ourselves in a lucid dream. Unfortunately, the story never really went anywhere. I gather this may have been the point, but the viewer is left feeling a bit cheated. I enjoyed the experience more than this writeup may suggest, but I'm afraid my enjoyment was purely ensconced in the aesthetics.

My god, his girlfriend was a copy of my ex. How spot on, this is exactly how living in the Dutch society is like. Unbelievable how the parallels are so close. If you are a Dutch person you must see this and then leave that godforsaken place or kill yourself.

A surreal urban dystopia, it follows Andreas, a man inexplicably placed in a strange city. Everyone seems perfectly happy and content on the surface... but that's it. No conflict, no suffering, and no real emotions or empathy. Done with plenty of that dry Scandinavian wit, a variety of intriguing scenarios and arresting images, and a drained color palette that emphasizes the emotional emptiness of the environment. A fascinating and highly satisfying movie with a healthy dose of ambivalence.

Yine berbat bir kısa film artığı daha. Gerçekçilik neydi gerçekçilik emekti. Filmdeki adamın da dediği gibi "artık hiçbir filmin eski tadı yok"

This was pretty cool. The Bothersome Man can be linked to such movies as Eraserhead, Brazil and most of all The Hole. The film presents us with an immaculate world, where everything seems to run smoothly, but where no one ever gets excited about anything, for better or for worse. The film plays like a somewhat obvious critique of modern society, and perhaps Norwegian society in particular. To quote the Simpsons: it's "a detached tale of modern alienation".

A vision of purgatory as the affectless conformity that might come from being perpetually confined to an Ikea showroom. Contains some striking elements, and some amusing scenes, yet remains somehow unsatisfying. The ideas wear a little thin, perhaps, or the narrative seems somehow to wind down rather than go somewhere (but no doubt this may be deliberate). Audiences that do not expect explanations or resolutions may be capable of greater involvement with the film. Excellent soundtrack.

beautifully made and facinating, well directed and acted. the story here is one that is so gripping it angers me that there weren't more questions answered than presented.

It is, although kind of original, almost boring and in the end, it does not almost happen anything. I prefer mystery with thriller/suspense films and this one lacks both genres. The plot is WAYYYY TRICKY, it is not about him finding weird things. Yes, it has some psychological horror, things you do not know quite well if they are happening or not but it is not about he finding odd things about the people, it is just about a man who, apparently, seems troubled. (Longest critic ever LOL).

* Casting, Acting : 5.5 * Script : 3.5 * Directing, Aura : 6.5 * Ease of Viewing : 3.5 * Naked Eye : 4.5

Similar to all the Pleasantville type movies, but has nothing special to separate itself from the pack. Plus, this story could have been told in about 45 minutes.

One of those movies is that is more fun to ponder afterwards than it is to watch, but still entertaining.

not a banger in the category of norwegian films driven by a detached yet self-referential irony

Black deadpan comedy about...probably about a guy that got thrown into hell (or heaven) and did not like it there as there was no flavor there. Great little flick.

Odd and offbeat allegorical fable flavoured by Kaufmanesque sensibilities, though the plotting (and characterisations) are so drolly low-key as to be off-putting, and may well be based on translation problems in terms of Norweigan norms and customs. Either way, the intriguing existential themes and sense of panic are not explored terribly well, exacerbated by Fausa's diffident and halting performance; nice little shoutout to Leone (or maybe WAKE IN FRIGHT) in the desolation of the opening scene.

lack of apathy turns a heaven to pure hell. brilliant work of art.

A strange movie mixed with Norwegian sense of humour and very good satire of today's society. Maybe it's not very rich on the story side but worth watching for the plenty of nice performances especially for Trond Fouse.

I sort of thought i was going to completely love this, and as it is it has a lot of aspects that are definitely right up my alley, but as absurdist dystopian comedies go, i could have probably used a little more absurdist comedy and a little less heavy-handed dystopian allegory. I get the feeling that there's a satirical aspect playing on the austerity of Scandinavian culture that doesn't really resonate with me enough to be truly affective. It definitely has it's moments though.

Yakın dönem varoluşçu sinemanın bence en güzel filmlerinden biri. Bir çok farklı yoruma, okumaya uygun bir konuya sahip. Minimal bir film olmasına rağmen, merak öğesini ayakta tutan yapısıyla rahat izleniyor. Ayrıca filmin başında ve sonunda bulunan durak sahneleri, renk ve resim olarak bir NBC filmi, özellikle Bir Zamanlar Anadolu'da hissi verdi.

Too weird for me :/

It was boring till they found the crack in the wall, then it got exciting till they got caught and then it was boring again.

Top badass moment? Andreas digging a tunnel to try and escape from his mundane life. Despite being frequently surrounded by the mundane myself, it's something I've personally never considered doing. Trying to escape from the mundane is badass. No cats, decapitations or chainsaws. However, at one point a finger does get amputated by an office guillotine machine.

Sira disi bir film, alternatif bir dunya.

Was it a satire or an allegory? Or probably both? It's kafkaesque - consistently and meticulously, and I liked it that way. Although I've got to add that I'm not a great fan of this type of ending.

A film that (entirely intentionally) leaves you with a feeling of emptiness and frustration. Initially didn't want to rate it higher than 70 because of that, but after thinking for a bit about the point of it all, I decided it deserves much better. Plus, it's beautiful to look at, and to listen to. Like a more coherent Roy Andersson film.

"There are several ways to take this bothersome trifle, none of which are at all resonant." - Ed Gonzalez

Sure, the story has unused potential and in the end you feel a little bit cheated, but I really enjoyed this black-and-white emotionless world Per Schreiner and Jens Lien created. Combined with a beautiful cinematography and good actors it's definitely a recommendation.

A blackly comic vision of a nordic purgatory where no-one really feels love, and hot chocolate has no taste, but all claim to be happy. Andreas rebels against this bland utopia with darkly funny and shocking results. Beautifully shot, thought-provoking and open-ended.

Cool, stylish and highly interesting absurd fable. It's the kind of thing that could easily make me frustrated ("There's a deeper meaning here, and I don't get it!") but that doesn't in this case. Don't try to understand - just sit back and go with the flow.

A disappointment.

So quiet, so relevant.

#811 - 14 Agustos 08, 17:21 & 2006'nin en iyi filmi. modern toplumun icinde sikisan insanin yasadiklari... herseyin simetrik oldugu, tekduzelestig, duygularin neredeyse yok oldugu bir yasamin icinde, ana rahmine tekrar donus istedigi! film cok seyi anlatmasina ragmen acayip ozgun bir tarzi ve atmosferi var. bu film sinemayi sevmemin baslica nedenidir!

You won't find any film anywhere that has more contrasts than this one. Bleak and boring one second, bloodily violent the next. These instant changes are what make the picture and they involve the plot, the characters, the visuals, everything. The twists, secrets, and hints will appeal to "Lost" fans. The allusions to otherworldliness will appeal to those who liked "The Village".

A fantastic, dream-like movie, in the spirit of Brazil or Dark City, though I wouldn't disparage Den Brysomme Mannen by calling it derivative. It's a sort of allegory for the superficiality of modern life, without being heavy handed.

A fascinating film but the protagonist at times is not enough of a contrast to those around him.