Odd Horten (Baard Owe), a shy and cautious 67-year-old, gets up in the morning in his small apartment and prepares for his last day as an engineer on a train running between Olso and Bergen in Norway. He has a pet bird and loves smoking pipes. After a pleasant day at work, he spends an evening at an inn run by a female friend who treats him to a special meal she has cooked. Odd is invited to join his colleagues at a celebration of his 40 years of work. He is embarrassed by the honor and the plaque given him. A faulty door at a place where the party continues leads him to a late-night encounter with a boy who insists he stay with him.

Odd soon realizes that he now has a large stretch of unscheduled time. He decides to visit his senile mother in a nursing home to take her a bouquet of tulips. He visits a smoke shop and learns that the man who ran it died recently. He decides to sell his boat and then has second thoughts. At the swimming pool, he absent-mindedly loses his shoes and finds a pair of women's red shoes which he puts on his feet. All of these experiences open the door to new possibilities. But they also have another meaning. As Joseph Campbell wrote: "One great thing about growing old is that nothing is going to lead to anything. Everything is of the moment."

Bent Hammer has directed this Norwegian film about old age, loneliness, and the possibilities available for seniors who have plenty of time on their hands. Everywhere Odd turns, he sees death and the diminishment of the flesh. But he is determined to make the best of the remaining time he has on Earth.

One of Odd's most interesting encounters is with Dr. Sissener (Espen Skjonberg), a mysterious man with a fascinating past. During their talks Odd recalls that he was a disappointment to his mother, an avid skier, because he never had the energy and the guts to try the sport which she loved so much. In the end, this slow moving and eccentric Norwegian movie turns into a drama about the adventure of the last stage of life. It illustrates the truth of Florida Scott-Maxwell observation: "I want to tell people approaching and perhaps fearing old age that it is a time of discovery. If they say 'Of what' I can only answer, we must find out ourselves, otherwise it won't be discovery."

Special features on the DVD include interviews with writer/director Bent Hamer and composer John Erik Kaada.