The Bothersome Man

Impressions before seeing it
Never heard of it (I believe it's from Norway), but I was browsing around on Amazon one day and it sounded interesting, so I ordered it.

How was it?
I'm a big fan of things where something weird is going on but you don't know what that is until it's gradually revealed to you over time. The Bothersome Man started out like one of those movies, but by the end I still wasn't sure what I'd seen. When I looked around online, many said that the place Andreas is taken to is purgatory, but I didn't get that at all as I watched. Possibly because I'm a moron and nobody in the movie directly said it.

There are things that would certainly fit with that theory though, but since it's not mine I'll just talk about what I got from it. The opening scene actually tells us a lot about this weird city in the movie: a couple is making out on a train platform, but it somehow manages to be both passionate (open-mouthed) and strangely robotic because their eyes are open and their movements are mechanical. This is what the people there are like, they're like the aliens on V, not caring about each other but going through some of the motions because they know they should. Andreas watches the couple make out and then jumps in front of an oncoming train. When we see this scene again later, we know why: he can't get real love here. His first lover is so distant and stiff that when he breaks up with her, her only reaction is to complain that they have guests coming on Saturday. His second lover seems warmer but turns out to be seeing several other men at the same time and is unable to determine whether she likes any of them (including Andreas) better than the others. This world is also filled with a lot of dull colours (especially grey) and characters complain that food has no taste. But at the same time there doesn't seem to be any crime or unpleasantness. Like purgatory, it's not awesome and it's not horrible, it's just "meh". My reading was that it might have been about communism or conformism, especially considering where Andreas' actions lead him in the end (sorry, no spoilers).

Recommendation
If it was meant to be a purgatory film then I'm not satisfied with the ending, but if it's something else then I am. But I enjoyed the experience anyway. Check it out if you like movies that keep you guessing and make you think.