Opening Night At MSPIFF 2016: 'A Man Called Ove'

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The 35th annual Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival launches in Minneapolis Thursday night with a screening of the heartwarming Swedish film A Man Called Ove.

The festival, which runs until April 23, brings more than 150 feature films to the Twin Cities, representing over 60 countries.

While the number of films in the 2016 lineup might be fewer than in previous years, there are more screenings of individual films, and more venues to see them in. Also, the list of festival-related parties has grown, too.

It all kicks off at 7 p.m. at the festival's ancestral home, the St. Anthony Main Theater. Hannes Holm's film will have festival-goers gushing with feel-good vibes as they head into the opening night party at the nearby Aster Café.

Based on Fredrik Backman's book by the same name, A Man Called Ove introduces audiences to a cantankerous, cardigan-wearing ogre who thinks everyone in his village is an idiot.

Played by the booming and explosive Rolf Lassgård, Ove is a man lost in life following the death of his wife, Sonja. He promises her that'll he'll kill himself to join her beyond the grave, but he's constantly foiled in his quest by his needy neighbors.

Much of the film's humor blossoms from Ove's interrupted attempts at suicide. And each time he tries to off himself, there's a flashback to Ove as a young man.

These flashbacks work to peel back the layers and explain why Ove can't imagine driving any car other than a Saab, why he's outrageously strict when it comes to neighborhood orderliness and why he hates the "whitecoat" bureaucrats.

The best part of the film, however, is Ove's relationship with his new neighbors, especially a strong-headed Persian mother, Parvaneh (Bahar Pars).

She and her bumbling husband have two adorable girls, and third child on the way. The kids – as well as the confrontational but loving Parvenah -- eventually prove too much for Ove to dismiss as mere idiots.

Impressively, Holm is able to take a story that's about a deathwish and fill it with light. He also manages, more or less, to show a character's entire life without the film suffering too much from pacing issues.

While the violins in the soundtrack could definitely cut back on the sentimentality, A Man Called Ove is a comedy well-suited for spring. (It's only too bad that Thursday's forecast calls for snow.)

Advanced tickets for A Man Called Ove have sold out, but rush line tickets are still available the night of the show.

As the festival continues throughout the next coming weeks, screenings will be held at the St. Anthony Main Theatre, the Uptown Theatre, and a few other theaters throughout the state. Festival related events will take place at restaurants throughout the Twin Cities.

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For the festival schedule, and a complete listing of all the movies being shown, click here. Ticket information is available here.

Throughout the entirety of the 2016 Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival, WCCO.com will be spotlighting one notable movie each day, along with other notable screenings. To see WCCO.com's complete coverage on the MSPIFF, click here.