The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared (film)

The Hundred Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared
Film poster
Directed by Felix Herngren
Written by
Starring Robert Gustafsson
Music by Matti Bye
Production
company
Distributed by Walt Disney Studios
Motion Pictures (Sweden)
StudioCanal (France)
Concorde Home Entertainment (Germany)
Release date
  • 25 December 2013 (2013-12-25)
Running time
 112 minutes
Country
  • Sweden
  • France
  • Germany
Language
  • Swedish
  • English
  • Russian
  • German
  • French
  • Spanish
Budget 63 million SEK[1]
($9.6 million)
Box office $51.2 million[2]

The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared (Swedish: Hundraåringen som klev ut genom fönstret och försvann), also known as The 100 Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, is a 2013 internationally co-produced comedy film directed by Felix Herngren based on the novel of the same name by Jonas Jonasson. The film was screened in the Berlinale Special Gala section of the 64th Berlin International Film Festival.[3]

The film was released in more than 40 countries and grossed more than US$50 million, making it the third highest grossing Swedish film of all time, only beaten by The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Män som hatar kvinnor) and The Girl Who Played with Fire (Flickan som lekte med elden).[4]

The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling at the 88th Academy Awards.[5]

Plot

In 2005, Allan Karlsson (Robert Gustafsson) lives alone with his pet cat Molotov as his only company. When Molotov is killed by a fox, an enraged Allan gets revenge by blowing up the fox using dynamite, which prompts the authorities to move him to a retirement home in Malmköping. On the same day as his centenary celebration, Allan climbs out of the window and disappears, walking to the bus station intending on travelling as far as he can. Whilst waiting for his bus, a young skinhead (Simon Säppenen) angrily demands Allan watch his suitcase whilst he uses the toilet. Instead, Allan leaves with the suitcase and boards the bus, which takes him as far as Byringe. By the time he leaves Malmkoping, his caretakers inform the police of Allan's disappearance. Chief Inspector Aronsson (Ralph Carlsson), of the Police leads the investigation into Allan's sudden and unexpected disappearance. Inspector Aronsson is not aware of the suitcase in Allan's possession.

Parts of the film co-exist with the main story as a set of flashback in Allan's life. In his childhood, Allan's father invents the condom, an invention that was seen by the Swedish monarchy as blasphemous. Enraged, Allan's Father travels to Russia to set up his own republic and support his invention, only to be executed by firing squad. Whilst still young, Allan's sick mother eventually dies, but her final words to him are to never think or talk too much. In her words, she tells Allan that "That is what it is, and that it will be what it will be".

In his youth, Alan is sent to a mental hospital after accidentally blowing up a local butcher who scammed his family. Upon being released as an adult, Allan finds work at the Cannon Foundry, where he befriends Esteban, a young Spanish revolutionary. Esteban, though incredibly talkative, convinces Allan to go with him to Spain to fight the Nationalist regime under Francisco Franco. Immediately, Esteban is killed, the lessons of talking too much taught to him by his Mother instantly returning to Allan. Allan's expertise in explosives makes his job of blowing up bridges crucial to the Republican forces. However, moments before destroying a bridge, Allan's desire suddenly extinguishes and he decides to leave. Soon, the staff car of Franco is approaching the bridge he was supposed to demolish, the bridge detonating seconds after Allan had waved down Franco's car, therefore putting Allan as a hero in Franco's mind. The Nationalist Leader invites Allan to a dinner, where he presents his favorite pistol to him for saving his life.

Years after the Civil War, Allan sells the pistol to buy a work permit to travel to America. When informed that the worlds biggest bomb is being assembled, Allan's passion for explosions is re-ignited and he helps Robert Oppenheimer (Philip Rosch) in successfully developing the atomic bomb. For his work, Allan receiving praise from Harry S. Truman (Kerry Shale) for 'building a bomb that will stop all wars'. During a drunken dinner, Truman is informed by telephone that Franklin Delano Roosevelt, then President of the United States, has died, Truman being immediately sworn in as President.

Allan returns to Sweden, but on touching down he is met unexpectedly by representatives of the Swedish government, keen on his knowledge of the atomic bomb. However, they are totally unconvinced that Allan, who never attended a university, could have any vital role in its development of the bomb and thus abandon any attempt to interrogate him further. A man named Popov later befriends Allan, manages to get him drunk and leads him to Moscow. During a drunken party with Josef Stalin, Allan accidentally admits that he saved Franco's life, causing the infuriated Stalin to imprison Allan in a Siberian labor camp.

Cast

Reception

The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared received a 67% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 73 reviews, with an average rating of 6/10. The consensus reads: "Its efforts to earn laughs can be as ungainly as its title, but for viewers in tune with its absurdist humor, The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared offers much to recommend."[6] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 58 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Stor press på hundraåringen som försvann". Arbetarbladet. 17 December 2013. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  2. ↑ "The 100-Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared (2015)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  3. ↑ "Hundraåringen som klev ut genom fönstret och försvann". Berlinale. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  4. ↑ "Nytt rekord för "Hundraåringen" DN.SE". 23 July 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  5. ↑ Ford, Rebecca (14 January 2016). "Oscar Nominations: The Complete List". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  6. ↑ "The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  7. ↑ "The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
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