Warning: This post contains spoilers for A Man Called Otto, and mentions of suicide.
A Man Called Otto is based on the 2012 book by Fredrik Backman, and the title character’s name is changed from the 2015 film. First released in theaters in December 2022, A Man Called Otto is now streaming on Netflix. Starring Tom Hanks, the film follows Otto in the months after his wife’s death. Depressed and pushed into retirement, Otto makes several attempts to die by suicide before he befriends his new neighbor, Marisol.
A Man Called Otto is a remake of the 2015 film, A Man Called Ove, in which the title character’s name is different. Backman’s novel was also titled A Man Called Ove, and the change gives the 2022 version of the film a distinction, separating it from the original, although it sticks relatively close to the main crux of its source material. Otto goes through several ups and downs throughout the film. Not only is his name altered from the original film, but aspects of his backstory are also tweaked.
A Man Called Otto Changes Were Due To Setting
A Man Called Otto changed the title and the lead character’s name because the events took place in an entirely different country. 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. Ove is distinctly a Swedish name, and keeping it would not have worked in the American version of the story. It would not have fit Hanks' character, and the pronunciation would have likely been skewered.
Not only was Ove’s name changed to Otto, but Parvaneh, an Iranian immigrant and Ove’s neighbor in the Swedish film and book, gets a name and ethnicity change in A Man Called Otto. Marisol (Mariana Treviño) being Mexican American in the 2022 version of the film is likely also due to the change in setting. The adjustments give the story a few touches of authenticity to the American perspective.
What Else A Man Called Otto Changes About Ove
A Man Called Otto is fairly loyal to the Swedish iteration of the film and the book, but it adjusts things that are better suited to the U.S. Ove didn’t try to enlist in the military, though he did suffer from an enlarged heart, which was ultimately the cause of his death. While Ove died months after the main events of the film, Otto lived an additional three years before he passed away. What’s more, A Man Called Otto changes the character’s past, removing a flashback that revealed the gruesome death of his father, who was hit by a train.
In the American version of the film, Otto’s past doesn’t reveal much beyond his relationship with his wife Sonya. Crucially, however, A Man Called Otto changes the fact that Ove had previously had altercations with those who wanted his house demolished. Flashbacks reveal that Ove has been fighting them off for a long time, which is something Otto’s story doesn’t offer. Otherwise, A Man Called Otto maintains the character’s — often strained — dynamics with his neighbors, though Otto is a bit more welcoming in the 2022 iteration of the film.
