The Oscars foreign language film category takes a powerful look at the role of culture in cinema. But this year, one film is missing; Sweden’s The 100-Year-Old-Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared will be competing only for best hair and makeup. While certainly worthy of the nomination — 51-year-old actor Robert Gustafsson is a convincing centenarian — the movie deserves recognition for its perfectly executed assertion that outrageous is the best form of funny.
After having 99 birthdays, it’s no wonder Allan Karlsson wants nothing to do with the candle-camouflaged cake being wheeled in to him. So, before the nursing home staff arrives, he decides to escape his serene Swedish countryside prison and set off on a new adventure.
The film plays on the classic theme of old people gone rogue, but to a refreshing extreme. By the end of the film, Karlsson is a thief, a serial killer and an old man whose nonchalant attitude gives the illusion he doesn’t have a clue.
When a stranger at a bus stop asks him to watch a suitcase, Karlsson hops on a bus, suitcase in hand. When the bag’s owner comes out of the bathroom to find his suitcase — which was loaded with cash — missing, Karlsson is a wanted man.
In a parallel storyline, we find out why Karlsson is so casual: He’s managed to unwittingly change several major historical events of the 20th century. From saving the life of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco to blowing up a concentration camp with Albert Einstein’s brother, the movie’s ridiculous alternate history adds intrigue and irony to an already hilarious plotline.
The film occasionally falls into predictability, especially as Karlsson and his friend, Julius, are chased by a stereotypical tough-guy biker gang. But as the old men pick them off in increasingly cruel ways, (one meets the freezer, another finds the wrong end of an elephant) the movie invents a humor all its own.
It’s never quite clear if Karlsson is incredibly cunning or a lovable character who bumbles through saving the world — it’s probably a bit of both. Along the way, he picks up a few accidental accomplices who have no choice but to become his companions.
While the film’s slapstick humor is never out of sight, its dark themes are rather subtle. Like a jollier version of The Grand Budapest Hotel, it’s less jarring than it should be to watch Karlsson’s father executed by firing squad for preaching the benefits of condoms in Red Square.
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared is the highest grossing Swedish movie of all time — and for good reason. It’s been translated into six languages to the delight of audiences across Europe. It drags you along kicking and screaming (and laughing, of course) with a fast-paced wit that never lets up. If a whirlwind trip through a beautiful country isn’t enough, The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared will have you cracking up for a century.
