Otto has nothing left to live for. With his wife gone and most of his friends, he moves through life empty. That is until a young family moves in and challenges everything. Even still is there time to change or will Otto be forced to make the inevitable choice.
“A Man Called Otto” is an intriguing story with an important message at the heart. That message is centered around suicide and how to prevent it. Tom Hanks, as phenomenal as an actor as he is, does an even better job of portraying the emotions that Otto goes through as he struggles with the will to live.
The film is also laid out in flashes of present time as well as flashbacks triggered by the new neighbors, which ultimately helps the audience be able to understand and sympathize with Otto just a little bit more. In the flashbacks, we also see a young Otto (played by Tom Hanks son), who one can definitely say has picked up the same knack for. the camera as his father.
In one of his first on camera appearances, Truman Hanks captured the unique younger version of Otto from first love, to tragedy and grief. He had a way of drawing the readers in and capturing their heart so that they felt every ounce of pain that Otto felt as an older man.
All in all at just under 2 hour runtime, A Man Called Otto is a movie for anyone who has ever dealt with suicide in their lives. It shows a positive message about how someone who is dealing with suicide, does not have to give up especially if there are people around who won’t give up on them. It also leaves people with a message of hope and to not ignore the warning signs, rather to find help for those in their darkest hours.
A Man Called Otto officially hits theaters January 13 and will be playing at one near you.