The life of 67-year-old Odd Horten is in separately tied to trains. For forty long years he has been the engineer on the Oslo-Bergen route, and now the time for retirement has come. The moment the train starts off without him and Horten is left alone on the platform, he suddenly realizes that before him lies a new life free of timetables and intimately familiar stations, a life full of obstacles and pitfalls. Even the platform doesn’t look as safe as before. A new period of Horten’s life is beginning that will have plenty of surprises in store and will confront him with a number of questions. Will Horten ever fly in a plane? Will he sell his beloved boat? Will he survive a frantic night trip? Will he find his long-lost love, or buy a dog? The situations the protagonist of this wonderfully written and exquisitely performed comedy finds himself in become more and more absurd until the time comes when you are not surprised to suddenly find Horten in red high heels. With its unforgettable atmosphere and wit, the film, which is not just one for train aficionados, entirely won over audiences at Cannes’08, where it ranked confidently among the most remarkable films in the section Un Certain Regard. |