On Allan Karlsson’s 100th birthday, he leaves his nursing home through a window, buys a ticket to Sweden’s most remote bus stop and meanders through a series of eccentric events, all while reminiscing on his previous century of life. The wacky film was released in Sweden at the end of 2013 and became the country’s highest grossing film, according to Music Box Films. It appeared for the first time in American theatres on May 8 and debuts in the District on May 22.
The protagonist of the film, Allan, played by Robert Gustafsson (“Four Shades of Brown”), spends a large portion of his adventure urinating beside a few of the most powerful leaders from the 20th century, like President Truman and Joseph Stalin. In one instance, Allan vents about a pee stain to a newly appointed President Truman and in another, Allan shares a trough with Stalin’s close informant. Urination acts as an obvious theme in the movie.
The senile Allan finds himself accompanied by Julius, a slightly younger man seeking an adventure, Benny, the antagonist from Kanye West’s album “College Dropout,” and Gunila, the proud owner of an ex-circus elephant. Based on Jonas Jonasson’s novel under the same title, the on-screen adaptation of “The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared” proves overly ridiculous at times, as it follows Allan and his crew’s attempt to navigate the world of biker gangs and lazy inspectors who are out to get them.
Allan has similarities to Forrest from “Forrest Gump,” due to the adolescent intellect of both characters. Allan dropped out of school just before he turned ten, and he maintains a simple approach to solving problems throughout the rest of his life, just like Forrest. Instead of turning him into an adult, fate kept him a child, and the film illustrates Allan’s childhood through consistently wry comedic sequences. These scenes provide humor for the viewer, but often come off as overdone and exaggerated.
Alternating between present scenarios and flashbacks of Allan’s serendipitous past, the film elevates Allan to the same heights as cinema’s greatest folk heroes. While Allan never did anything as ridiculous as run across the country multiple times in his childhood, like Forrest, he did play a role in the Spanish Revolution, the Manhattan Project and Cold War espionage.
Allan’s decisions throughout his life leave the viewer wondering whether he has a profound consciousness or severe ignorance. His modesty makes him a likable character — if you can call someone without a purpose modest. Throughout his 100 years on earth, Allan exhibited a type of passivity, which causes him to end up in strange situations. The film has an almost irreverent outlook on death. In one scene, Allan acknowledges the death of several characters, but instead of mourning the loss, he shuffles along, unphased.
Although “The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared” contains original scenes and characters, it has been advertised as a Nordic version of America’s beloved “Forrest Gump” by the film’s American distributor. The absurdness of the movie makes the plot fun and a must see for anyone above or below the age of 100.
Grade: B
“The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared” (R, 114 min) is now playing at Landmark’s E Street Cinema.
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