A Man Called Otto | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

FAQs

Is Otto autistic in the movie? ›

Furthermore, the film provides a sensitive perspective on the life of an individual with Asperger's Syndrome whose social tendencies earn him the reputation of the “grumpy old man” but who becomes an empathetic person through the close bond that he develops with an immigrant family.

As Otto finishes his job and tries to leave, Reuben grabs the garden hose and latches onto it as if he knows what Otto plans to really do with it, but Otto pulls it from his grip. Otto sits in his car in the garage and attempts suicide once again via carbon monoxide poisoning (hence the hose).

The main messages from A Man Called Otto are that even when everything looks desperate there's still hope, and we can find new meaning to life if we look for it. Values in A Man Called Otto that you could reinforce with your children include persistence, kindness and hope.

The two grew apart after Reuben's preference for Fords and Toyotas over Otto's Chevrolets and the "coup" of replacing Otto as chairman. Reuben, who had a stroke, now uses a wheelchair and is cared for by his wife Anita (Juanita Jennings) and neighbor Jimmy (Cameron Britton).

The film never delves deeply into his mental health, though he is definitely suffering from depression following the passing of his wife and probably has either OCD or something close to it.

While it is not the primary focus of the movie, the main character, Otto, just happens to have Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM).

But, of course, Otto is played by Tom Hanks, the beloved Jimmy Stewart of this era, and you and I know immediately that a way will be found for his true nature to emerge. The film opens six months after Otto's cherished wife Sonya (Rachel Keller) has died of cancer.

He prepares to commit suicide by shotgun, remembering the bus crash on a romantic trip to Niagara Falls that caused a pregnant Sonya to lose her baby and become a paraplegic. Malcolm, who was kicked out by his father, knocks on the door, and Otto lets him stay the night.

Otto goes through a lot in the film, and over time he finally realizes that his grief doesn't have to overshadow the life he still has. What's more, an enlarged heart is a symptom of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and a metaphor for love in A Man Called Otto.

While it may seem like it could be about real-life events, A Man Called Otto isn't actually a true story, nor is it even based on one. The film is actually a remake of a 2015 Swedish movie called A Man Called Ove, directed by Hannes Holm and starring Rolf Lassgård as its grouchy protagonist.

How old was Otto's wife when she died in the movie? ›

Sonya died of cancer offscreen presumably in her early sixties, which is Otto's general age range in the film. Otto and Sonya left behind no children due to a tragic situation that was revealed through the film's flashback sequences.

This is a feel good movie about a man suffering from depression after the death of his wife and how he learns to find joy in living again. There are four suicide attempts by him, which could be triggering to those who suffer from mental illness or have an experience with loss or a mentally ill loved one.

When he attempts suicide, the noose collapses from the ceiling, so he visits Sonya's grave, and has flashbacks to their past: as a young man, he was rejected from the army due to his hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and met Sonya on a train, where she lent him a 1964 silver quarter he has kept ever since.

When you begin this novel, you meet a crusty old Swede named Ove who lives like a hermit and never seems to have a kind word to say to anyone. He may even be a highly functioning person with autism spectrum disorder.

The movie's subplot is that Otto also has obsessive-compulsive disorder — OCD. He established a daily routine that benefits his neighbors to compensate for the disorder. Otto is the ad-hoc overseer of safety and security on his block of townhouses.

In the original movie, Ove resided in Sweden, whereas Otto lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Given the circ*mstances of the remake's new location, it makes sense that Ove's name was changed to Otto, who is Ove's American counterpart.