This is a tender story about kindness, the importance of community and an enduring love. Otto is a Swedish American, living in a gated cul de sac, and he is a misanthrope. He spends his days “doing his rounds”, which means telling his neighbours off for parking incorrectly, leaving the gate open, using the dumpster incorrectly (recycling in the wrong place), etc. He is befriended by a pregnant young Mexican woman who is as different from him as it is possible to be. They strike up a friendship due to the young woman’s persistence and the breaking down of the emotional wall Otto has put up. All he wants to do his join his late beloved wife Sonya, and makes several failed attempts to take his own life, try though he might.

There are so many elements to this film, although it isn’t so complicated that the viewer has to work hard to watch it. From being a miserable old git who hates life and has contempt for his neighbours, redemption happens and with the help of his pregnant Mexican neighbour he realises that there are good people, and there is the possibility of a fulfilling life. I don’t want to give away the plot, as it unfolds so beautifully, and this is a lovely, quirky piece of work that I enjoyed immensely.. It is bittersweet as well as joyful, and has something for everyone.