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 Felix Herngren
Hans Ingemansson
Jonas Jonasson
Starring Robert Gustafsson
Music by Matti Bye
Production
company
Distributed by Buena Vista International
Release dates
  • 25 December 2013 (2013-12-25)
Running time
 112 minutes
Country Sweden
France
Germany
Language Swedish
English
Russian
German
French
Spanish
Budget $9.1 million
Box office $50 million

The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared (Swedish: Hundraåringen som klev ut genom fönstret och försvann) 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.[1]

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).[2]

The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling at the 88th Academy Awards.[3]

Plot

In 2005, Allan Karlsson (Robert Gustafsson) lives alone at a retirement home in Malmköping, Sweden. His dearly beloved pet cat Molotov is his only company. Molotov is killed by a fox, and an enraged Allan gets revenge by blowing up the fox using dynamite disguised as food. On the same day as his centenary celebration at the retirement home, Allan climbs out of the window and disappears, walking to the bus station intending on travelling as far as he can with what little money he has. 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, a location in the middle of nowhere. By the time he leaves Malmkoping, the caretakers at the retirement home 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, a blasphemous invention as seen by the Swedish monarchy. Fed up with the hypocrisy of the Swedish government, 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 passes away, 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'.

Whilst working at the Cannon Foundry, Allan 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 to blow up things 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 favourite Pistol to him for saving his life.

Years after the Civil War, Allan uses the Pistol to buy a work permit to travel to America. Whilst working on the construction of a Skyscraper, Allan is informed by another worker that the worlds biggest bomb is being assembled. Allan's passion for blowing things up immediately returns to him, and he travels to an unknown site where the first bomb is being built. By complete chance on an interaction with Robert Oppenheimer (Philip Rosch), Allan solves the mystery of getting the bomb to work - by using TNT instead of twice the amount of plutonium, which at that time in history would have been impossible. The first test of the atomic bomb is a success, 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 had a meagre 3 years of state education, could possibly of been involved in any high priority tasks in making the bomb and abandon any attempt to interrogate him further over dinner. A man named Popov later befriends Allan, manages to get him drunk and leads him toward a Soviet submarine docked in the archipelago. Popov's intentions are just as apparent as the Swedes, and Allan is sent to Moscow before Josef Stalin to detail his role in the Manhattan Project. However, the easily convincing Allan turns the interrogation into a party, where everyone, including himself and the Soviet Premier is drunk. Allan makes the mistake of drunkenly admitting to having saved Franco's life earlier in the film, who, being a Nationalist leader, was a sworn enemy to Communism and therefore, an enemy of Stalin. The Soviet Leader angrily sends Allan to a labor camp in Siberia, where Allan happens upon Albert Einstein's brother, the totally inept Herbert Einstein.

Cast

References

  1. ↑ "Hundraåringen som klev ut genom fönstret och försvann". Berlinale. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  2. ↑ "Nytt rekord för "Hundraåringen" DN.SE". 23 July 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  3. ↑ Ford, Rebecca (14 January 2016). "Oscar Nominations: The Complete List". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 14 January 2016.

External links

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