David Magee is most definitely a diverse screenwriter in terms of his subject matter. His writing credits range from Finding Neverland (2004) to Life Of Pi (2012). He last spoke with Creative Screenwriting Magazine in 2018 regarding Mary Poppins Returns. This time around, Magee discusses the heart-wrenching film called A Man Called Otto.
A Man Called Otto began its life as a 2012 novel called En Man Som Heter Ove (A Man Called Ove) by Fredrik Backman. It was adapted into a Swedish language film helmed by Hannes Holm in 2015. Screenwriter David Magee (Lady Chatterly’s Lover, Mary Poppins Returns) read the book and watched the Swedish film before waving his magic fingers over his keyboard and retold the story.
Otto Anderson (Tom Hanks) is gruff guy who did everything right in life, but somehow, everything turned out wrong. He lost his wife Sonya, forced to retire and move, and waiting for his housing community to be snaffled up by developers who’ll eventually evict him for higher-paying tenants. He believes his life has no meaning any longer and he’s simply treading water.
Do It The Right Way
Otto has a binary answer to every question in life. Every decision in life is either right or wrong and everyone is an idiot if they don’t follow the rules. Everyone knows an Otto. He isn’t a controlling curmudgeon who insists that things be done his way. He insists they be done the right way. Cans go in the recycling container for cans not the ones for paper. Why is that so difficult for people to understand?
David Magee
“I first recognized Otto in my dad,” confessed Magee. “He grew up in a certain era in the Mid-West, he never complained when things went bad, and was always strong in the face of adversity to keep up the façade of things going well.” Magee Junior noticed his father’s demeanor sour during the last decade of his life when he was sick. “His attitude toward the world changed and he became more impatient. The slightest thing would set him off.”
David understood both his father’s and Otto’s anti-social behavior which he found both funny and sad. “Both were decent, honest men who were struggling with life’s circumstances.”
From Sweden To America
After signing on to the project, David Magee went to work on the Americanization of the Swedish film. “For starters, taxpayer-funded medicine which plays a big role in the Swedish version became private health care in America.” The public good was handed over to market forces to the detriment of most.
Reuben (Peter Lawson Jones), Otto’s neighbour, could no longer live in his home due to illness and was forcibly moved to a private care facility. The purposefully named ‘Die and Merika Real Estate’ conveniently owned assisted living facilities to house residents after being forced from their homes on prized real estate after obtaining access to their healthcare records via dubious means. It monetized the healthcare process, which isn’t the norm in Sweden.
Ove became Otto and he was transplanted from Helsingborg to Pittsburgh in Magee’s vision. Ove worked in the train system and Otto was forced to retire from the steelworks in Pittsburgh and live in a foreign community. “Both men are obsessed with order and black and white answers.” If you can’t understand that, you’re an idiot.
Both Ove and Otto did the right things and worked for the right companies expecting to retire from there, and watched it all erode. Pittsburgh is parallel to David’s hometown of Flint, Michigan which was once thriving when he was young.
Otto is not a bad person. His good nature is largely buried under the weight of the way the world was going. Frederick Backman who wrote the novel was bothered by viewer comments of how much Otto changed during the course of the film. “He hasn’t changed. You just understand him better,” declared Magee. Otto has endured a lot of pain from losing his wife to being forced out of his job of four decades. “He has suffered great losses and done his best to overcome them.” He is awakening and healing. The sun is slowly shining once again.
Otto Anderson (Tom Hanks) Photo by Niko Tavernise/ Columbia Pictures
A Man Called Otto explores the nature of upheaval and isolation. “We explore a guy who has isolated himself. The only connection he had to the outside world was through his wife who’s now gone. He doesn’t know how to reach out to people. He doesn’t know how to let people into his pain.”
Despite his short fuse, Otto has many endearing qualities. “He’s not judgmental, he’s not racist or a transphobe.” Once members of his community allow him into their world, he inches towards letting them inside his. “We’re not that far apart.”
Otto’s world changes when his persistent, strong-headed neighbor Marisol (Mariana Treviño) moves in next door and refuses to allow his curt manner to deter her. Marisol challenges him and insists, “You think everyone’s an idiot and you’re alone in the world… and you can do everything by yourself. Guess what? You can’t. No-one can.” This defiance sums her up. “Sometimes you have to be grateful that you can get through a bad day even if they are an idiot,” continued Magee. The film alludes to Marisol’s father being stoic and never asking for help before he passed. She won’t allow this familiar pattern she sees in Otto prevent her from reaching out to him after losing her chance with her father. “I see you for what you are. You’re cranky, but you’re also worthy of being part of my world,” Marisol bellows.
This is the core of the movie because for all his shortcomings, Otto has a sense of fairness. In spite of her pushiness, Marisol also gives Otto the space and time to grieve because she understands his loss. Otto’s astonishing self-awareness underscores his gruff behavior. “That’s his version of love in the absence of his wife.”
To Laugh Or Cry
A Man Called Otto is a tragic-comedy with uncomfortable belly laughs. “My saddest moments in life have been interrupted by laughter. There’s a shift inside us after extreme circumstances that leaves you vulnerable to pain, irony and humor.” There’s an absurdity to the pain. Writing in a space of unrelenting darkness will eventually repel your audiences. “If you write an unrelentingly funny thing, it feels like a throwaway and you lose interest.” Laughter is the vice that opens us up to possibilities.
Despite the tragic ending, Magee wants his movie to provide a hopeful view of humanity. Otto has finally forged a community that loves and values him. and he them, although he barely admits it. But perhaps Otto’s biggest lesson is to accept people’s differences. They can’t all be idiots because you disagree with them.
Otto has a big heart and attracts the needy in his street – a stray cat and a trans teenager with no place else to go. He doesn’t do it be generous. It’s what people do.
“I want A Man Called Otto to show how people can care for one another, transcend their difficulties and decide that life’s worth living.” It’s time to stop living in the past, but never forgetting it. Tragedy and loss are part of life.
