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One of the funniest and most original films of the year, this absurd and surreal comedy from acclaimed director Roy Andersson takes an amusing left-of-centre look at a delightfully eccentric assortment of characters. Through a series of brilliantly entertaining sketches, Andersson observes with empathy and wry humour the highs, lows and tragicomic happenings that affect their everyday lives. Shot with highly distinctive visual flair, this unique and universally resonant snapshot of modern life is both touching and laugh-out- loud hilarious. Extras: TV Commercials by Roy Andersson / Theatrical Trailer
Review
Hilarious...Monthy Phyton meets Ingmar Bergam...Utterly Unique --Uncut
Comic Genius...Very Funny --Total Film
Hilariously sticks the knife into modern life --Time Out
Comic Genius...Very Funny --Total Film
Hilariously sticks the knife into modern life --Time Out
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
What a fantastic film, hilarious, surreal but tantalisingly close to the realities of the human condition. Andersson emerses his vignettes in washed out pastel shades, minimalist decor and diverse cinematographic techniques. There is so much to enjoy in this work. The characters are lovable and delicously deadpan which for me reflected a gentle form of mannerism. I adored the petulant dog, the dream sequences, the military band, the haircut, the burnt out psychiatrist, the self-pitying biker type and the thuderstorm. Andersson's humanity is clearly expressed and the everyday disappointments we all face are seen through the lens of a compassionate camera: the carpet that's not long enough, unrequited love, noisy neighbours, crowded bus shelters, traffic jams and troublesome family members.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
One review describes Roy Andersson's recent films as `Ingmar Bergman meets Monty Python', and that's about right.
A surreal series of thematically vaguely connected vignettes, almost all shot in beautifully composed single long take.
Some are howlingly funny, a few quite heartbreaking. A few are less interesting. And while there's no obvious story,
somehow it all adds up to a bigger whole; a satire of the modern world, it's disconnection, desperation
and confusion.
Andersson's use of washed out color to create a disconcerting visual tone is unlike anybody else's.
While his terrific 'Songs From the Second Floor' got a little more attention, I found this a tad more cohesive, funny,
sad, and visually amazing. It's a challenging film, many may not like it, but if you're up for something
different it's really worth a try.
A surreal series of thematically vaguely connected vignettes, almost all shot in beautifully composed single long take.
Some are howlingly funny, a few quite heartbreaking. A few are less interesting. And while there's no obvious story,
somehow it all adds up to a bigger whole; a satire of the modern world, it's disconnection, desperation
and confusion.
Andersson's use of washed out color to create a disconcerting visual tone is unlike anybody else's.
While his terrific 'Songs From the Second Floor' got a little more attention, I found this a tad more cohesive, funny,
sad, and visually amazing. It's a challenging film, many may not like it, but if you're up for something
different it's really worth a try.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
A tricksy number from the acclaimed Swedish director Roy Andersson, this film has no real plot but instead features fifty shortish scenes of different characters engaged in surreal, satirical versions of everyday life. Switching between comedy and tragedy, the film makes an impression through its visuals, with the almost entirely studio-filmed scenes taking place in a world of washed-out pastel wallpaper, misty mornings and - most prominently - opening and closing doors.
The constant switching from scene to scene, with only a few characters returning, never becomes irritating but instead holds the interest, with the viewer knowing that there is always something else coming shortly. This is fortunate, as the sketches themselves prove frustratingly uneven. Some of them are great deadpan comedy, others mix amusing lines and images with serious pathos, but too many simply make clichéd points about modern life while lacking dramatic or comedic flair. It is these dry, often deliberately overlong scenes that you feel the film thinks are its most important, but they come close to sinking it - characters such as the groupie hung up on a local musician and the whiny, attention-seeking alcoholic woman keep on repeating the same lines in different settings, and these scenes lack subtlety or dramatic momentum, especially as these same characters, among the few who do appear more than once, do get one or two more amusing and more articulate scenes that provide a bit more variety and insight into their personalities. There are simply too many slightly (purposefully) wooden, vaguely miserable scenes wedged in and they hinder and dull the film rather than giving it more impact. The briefer, more humourous skits often make the same points in much more entertaining fashion despite having the same slow, matter-of-fact pacing.
With fifty different scenes over a mere ninety minutes, it's a real challenge for the film to make any impression, though, so it's to its credit that so many scenes work on both a comic and serious level and that so many images stay with the viewer. Many of the comments do rise above the banal and the surreal, wry humour is frequently memorable too. However, the film's general oddness and visual personality leave more of a mark than its satirical and emotional sides; not a failure as such, but still something of a disappointment.
The constant switching from scene to scene, with only a few characters returning, never becomes irritating but instead holds the interest, with the viewer knowing that there is always something else coming shortly. This is fortunate, as the sketches themselves prove frustratingly uneven. Some of them are great deadpan comedy, others mix amusing lines and images with serious pathos, but too many simply make clichéd points about modern life while lacking dramatic or comedic flair. It is these dry, often deliberately overlong scenes that you feel the film thinks are its most important, but they come close to sinking it - characters such as the groupie hung up on a local musician and the whiny, attention-seeking alcoholic woman keep on repeating the same lines in different settings, and these scenes lack subtlety or dramatic momentum, especially as these same characters, among the few who do appear more than once, do get one or two more amusing and more articulate scenes that provide a bit more variety and insight into their personalities. There are simply too many slightly (purposefully) wooden, vaguely miserable scenes wedged in and they hinder and dull the film rather than giving it more impact. The briefer, more humourous skits often make the same points in much more entertaining fashion despite having the same slow, matter-of-fact pacing.
With fifty different scenes over a mere ninety minutes, it's a real challenge for the film to make any impression, though, so it's to its credit that so many scenes work on both a comic and serious level and that so many images stay with the viewer. Many of the comments do rise above the banal and the surreal, wry humour is frequently memorable too. However, the film's general oddness and visual personality leave more of a mark than its satirical and emotional sides; not a failure as such, but still something of a disappointment.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
You The Living
A unique style of film by a master film maker. Featuring beautiful, memorable images and hilarious surreal dark comedy. Highly recommended.
Published 4 months ago by a customer
This is a wild, weird, ARTY, foreign, pointless trip.
The Swedish film is billed as a comedic meditation, but for me it was just too arty, cold and a study from a warped artistic mind. Read more
Published 9 months ago by T. BROOKES
best of the year
This is one of the 10 best films of all time. I can't describe the delight of discovering this gem. It creeps up on you, from a plot-less and aimless seeming beginning, but once... Read more
Published 17 months ago by knowall
It, so boring......
I would rather floss my cat's teeth then watch this film again!
It's swedish.
It's swedish.
Published 20 months ago by Bloodnock
Feel the icy hand of Lethe
Pre-fixed by Goethe's memento mori to the living dead,we get the underlying philosophy that runs through the series of humerous,satirical vignettes. Read more
Published on 26 May 2010 by technoguy
Not a masterpiece, but worth seeing
This surrealistic, absurdist movie is the first film I have seen of cult Swedish Director Roy Andersson. Read more
Published on 6 Sep 2008 by Andres C. Salama
"NOBODY LOVES ME ... NOBODY" ...
... is the line repeated from time to time, in different shapes or forms, by most protagonists of this film, which can be described as a satire with some elements of black comedy. Read more
Published on 22 July 2008 by Film on DVD
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