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The Bothersome Man

Play trailer Poster for The Bothersome Man 2006 1h 35m Comedy Mystery & Thriller Fantasy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
76% Tomatometer 21 Reviews 82% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
One morning, Andreas (Trond Fausa Aurvåg) wakes up in a strange apartment in a strange city and has no idea how he got there. His boss (Johannes Joner) gives him instructions for a job he doesn't remember having. He marries Anne Britt (Petronella Barker), an interior designer, and, almost without even realizing it, settles into a comfortable but predictable routine. Slowly, Andreas realizes that the city's clean, calm and complacent citizens are the front for something very sinister.
The Bothersome Man

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Critics Consensus

Bothersome Man is a surreal, comedic meditation, thoughtfully and skillfully made.

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Critics Reviews

View All (21) Critics Reviews
Joshua Land Time Out Rated: 3/5 Nov 17, 2011 Full Review Noel Murray AV Club [A] pitch-black, bone-dry comedy. Rated: B+ Aug 25, 2007 Full Review Jeannette Catsoulis New York Times A surreal nightmare of gleaming surfaces and razor-sharp edges, The Bothersome Man unfolds in a sterile city where nothing is quite as it seems. Rated: 4/5 Aug 24, 2007 Full Review Emiliano Basile EscribiendoCine As a metaphor, The Bothersome Man reflects one of the harshest truths of our times. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 8/10 May 17, 2024 Full Review Chris Hewitt St. Paul Pioneer Press Like the Swedish/Norwegian Kitchen Stories, it's a thoughtful Scandinavian film with a bent sense of humor. Rated: 3/4 Sep 21, 2007 Full Review Marc Mohan Oregonian Is it a religious allegory? Political statement? Horror film? Perhaps all three, perhaps none. Rated: A- Sep 21, 2007 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Wayne K The Bothersome Man is a film I likely would never have seen if it had not been recommended to me. I didn’t know the director or any member of the cast aside from the lead, who I only recognise because he was in Oppenheimer. I had no idea about the setting, the premise or any key events, and that’s almost always the best way to approach a film. The story itself aims to be a critique of our modern world where safety and complacency are prioritised, resulting in a blandly happy and agreeable populace whose only concern is getting through their mundane chores with a smile on their face. The film could have been more upbeat and snappier, which would have been a better contrast with the slow and dull routines the characters undertake. Instead, some segments feel longer than they need to, and the lead character rarely pushes back against the system he’s been thrust into, despite being the outsider. I wanted more dark humour, more unique observations of a life defined by disconnect and a lack of human emotions. There’s a lot of sequences that work, but I feel like it wears out its welcome too soon, and just seems to drift aimlessly into a climax that feels like it was made for a different film entirely. I did appreciate that the opening scene, which is a flash forward, isn’t just an excuse to tease an upcoming event, but actually makes more sense when its been put into context. It’s a mixed bag to say the least, but I’ll always champion a film for at least trying to do something special. It didn’t fully work for me, but I think it will for many others. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/04/24 Full Review dave s Imagine, if you can, a film directed by David Lynch, written by Charlie Kaufman, based on an idea from Franz Kafka. The end product would look something like Jens Lien's The Bothersome Man, a Norwegian film that seems to have something to do with the nature of happiness, but who really knows and does it really matter? Andreas, a middle-aged man, finds himself in an odd new world, a world devoid of children and hot chocolate, among other things, where everyone seems agreeable to his every whim. It is as black as comedy comes, bleak and dreary at the best of times, but as wildly entertaining and surprising as imaginable. Is it for all tastes? Absolutely not, but those willing to join Andreas on his bizarre journey will find it to be a rewarding experience. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Den brysomme mannen (international title: The Bothersome Man) is a dystopian dark comedy about a man who mysteriously finds himself in a seemingly perfect society, with the only drawback that the people there are completely detached from real emotions. The performances and the cinematography are great and support the general notion of isolated loneliness, which the main character experiences. Thus, the movie's premise is a clever allegory for how people constantly keep themselves occupied with superficial objects and activities, while ignoring what makes them an emotional and social being. The shift in tone after the opening and the lack of a successful combination of the main character's fate with the overall social commentary of the movie, does mean, however, that it's not as competent as previous, comparable efforts, like Brazil (1980), Anomalisa (2015), or Her (2013). Read my full review on my blog movie-discourse. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Dynamic, interested and fresh. The movie will transport you to the plot of the situation of the character. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member Very very weird creepy movie with a weird ending Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review jack d Fans of Dark City will like it Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Bothersome Man

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Cast & Crew

Odd Thomas 37% 65% Odd Thomas Watchlist Click 34% 66% Click Watchlist Stuck 73% 54% Stuck Watchlist Number 17 73% 22% Number 17 Watchlist El Leyton: Until Death Do Us Part 55% 0% El Leyton: Until Death Do Us Part Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis One morning, Andreas (Trond Fausa Aurvåg) wakes up in a strange apartment in a strange city and has no idea how he got there. His boss (Johannes Joner) gives him instructions for a job he doesn't remember having. He marries Anne Britt (Petronella Barker), an interior designer, and, almost without even realizing it, settles into a comfortable but predictable routine. Slowly, Andreas realizes that the city's clean, calm and complacent citizens are the front for something very sinister.
Director
Jens Lien
Producer
Jørgen Storm Rosenberg, Julius Kemp, Ingvar Thordarson
Screenwriter
Per Schreiner
Production Co
Sandrew Metronome, Tordenfilm AS, The Icelandic Filmcompany
Genre
Comedy, Mystery & Thriller, Fantasy
Original Language
Norwegian
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 9, 2016
Runtime
1h 35m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital