Muted colors, mundane and melancholy topics with characters who feel their lives are meaningless are elements of director Roy Andersson's artistic and dark comedy. Andersson directs a film titled, You the Living, a compilation of 50 vignettes, all about the typical emotional struggles of the average person. The film is engaging in a way I have never experienced before. Some parts worked for me and some parts didn't but there is no denying the unique style of Andersson is something not seen everyday.
In this dark humor the audience rarely finds themselves laughing out loud. Instead they may find themselves smirking at the irony and pain of daily life. A theme that I found very pervasive is that of depression, melancholy and the mundane. This message is hard to miss. As the movie opens the audience is asked to appreciate their delightfully warm beds before the river Lithe pulls them away. This little bit of satire clearly sends a message that is portrayed throughout the movie. The message, we as individuals don't appreciate our depressing little lives; however, we only have short time on this earth before we forget our lives and death takes us. One way the audience is forced to realize the dinginess of this film is through the way it is shot. Most scenes are one continuous long shot, the camera does not move and often we are at equal level with the characters. Another obvious filming technique is that of filming so all the colors are muted and gray. These filming techniques are also ones that Andersson uses in his famous commercials to create a melancholy feel. Additionally the majority of the characters appear depressed or at least not content with their lives. The second vignette shows a woman smoking on a park bench, yelling at her boyfriend and dog to "get lost" and "scram" because no one understands her struggles. No one understands the way she feels.
Another overriding theme and one common to the Nordic are is that of alcohol. In the movie the characters strive for the relief from the mundane, an escape from reality and the freedom from their depressing lives. Their method of escape is alcohol. For the depressed woman in the park alcohol is an escape from her feeling that no one is able to understand her. We see this same woman again in later scene. As the people in the bar went about their business, oblivious to her ranting, she whined about not being understood. In a later vignette this same woman calls her own mother a sadist for serving nonalcoholic beer. Alcohol is clearly of great importance to her and most likely to many others. A great example of this is when the bartender rings his bell and announces last call for drinks, every person in the bar flocks to the counter to order their next fix.
Additionally music is an important element of the movie. Though there is not a lot of music used in the background there are many musical elements within the vignettes. One of the initial scenes is a man playing tuba in the living room of his house. The house rocks, things fall over, but he continues to play. An angry neighbor tears a hole in the ceiling and breaks his hanging lamp in attempt to silence the tuba player and the story continues. Later a man plays a drum in his living room. The most elaborate scene in the movie involves a young woman who dreams she falls in love with and marries a rock star, Micke Larsson. Most of the music itself is melancholy and make the lives of the character's seem even more depressing because even music is not enjoyable. The only music that is enjoyed is that of Micke Larsson.
Throughout the film each vignette overlaps with another. There is some connection between each of the vignette. Some share characters, for example the man who received the dreadful haircut was later seen at a business meeting. Other vignettes also bleed into each other, a teacher and carpet salesman (husband and wife) get into a fight both proceed to have emotional breakdowns at work. The overlapping serves not only to unify the film but also serves as an example of the connection and ties between the people that walk this earth.
One last theme that adds the great majority of interest to the movie is the theme of oddity. All humans are odd creatures. Andersson makes this very clear throughout the film. This element of oddity is something that we can all relate to on some level but Andersson takes it just one step further. My favorite odd scene is that of the man who receives the death penalty for breaking dishes at a family dinner after failing to perform the table cloth trick. Other examples of oddities is the scene with the man and woman having sex, while the woman is wearing a Viking hat.
The elements within this movie serve an entertainment and also an artistic purpose. Though not my favorite movie I did enjoy the majority of the film and found myself chuckling. Overall Roy Andersson directed an engaging and interesting film made with meticulous care and planning. Is interest in the artistic side of filming seals the deal and makes for one the most original movies I have ever seen.
In this dark humor the audience rarely finds themselves laughing out loud. Instead they may find themselves smirking at the irony and pain of daily life. A theme that I found very pervasive is that of depression, melancholy and the mundane. This message is hard to miss. As the movie opens the audience is asked to appreciate their delightfully warm beds before the river Lithe pulls them away. This little bit of satire clearly sends a message that is portrayed throughout the movie. The message, we as individuals don't appreciate our depressing little lives; however, we only have short time on this earth before we forget our lives and death takes us. One way the audience is forced to realize the dinginess of this film is through the way it is shot. Most scenes are one continuous long shot, the camera does not move and often we are at equal level with the characters. Another obvious filming technique is that of filming so all the colors are muted and gray. These filming techniques are also ones that Andersson uses in his famous commercials to create a melancholy feel. Additionally the majority of the characters appear depressed or at least not content with their lives. The second vignette shows a woman smoking on a park bench, yelling at her boyfriend and dog to "get lost" and "scram" because no one understands her struggles. No one understands the way she feels.
Another overriding theme and one common to the Nordic are is that of alcohol. In the movie the characters strive for the relief from the mundane, an escape from reality and the freedom from their depressing lives. Their method of escape is alcohol. For the depressed woman in the park alcohol is an escape from her feeling that no one is able to understand her. We see this same woman again in later scene. As the people in the bar went about their business, oblivious to her ranting, she whined about not being understood. In a later vignette this same woman calls her own mother a sadist for serving nonalcoholic beer. Alcohol is clearly of great importance to her and most likely to many others. A great example of this is when the bartender rings his bell and announces last call for drinks, every person in the bar flocks to the counter to order their next fix.
Additionally music is an important element of the movie. Though there is not a lot of music used in the background there are many musical elements within the vignettes. One of the initial scenes is a man playing tuba in the living room of his house. The house rocks, things fall over, but he continues to play. An angry neighbor tears a hole in the ceiling and breaks his hanging lamp in attempt to silence the tuba player and the story continues. Later a man plays a drum in his living room. The most elaborate scene in the movie involves a young woman who dreams she falls in love with and marries a rock star, Micke Larsson. Most of the music itself is melancholy and make the lives of the character's seem even more depressing because even music is not enjoyable. The only music that is enjoyed is that of Micke Larsson.
Throughout the film each vignette overlaps with another. There is some connection between each of the vignette. Some share characters, for example the man who received the dreadful haircut was later seen at a business meeting. Other vignettes also bleed into each other, a teacher and carpet salesman (husband and wife) get into a fight both proceed to have emotional breakdowns at work. The overlapping serves not only to unify the film but also serves as an example of the connection and ties between the people that walk this earth.
One last theme that adds the great majority of interest to the movie is the theme of oddity. All humans are odd creatures. Andersson makes this very clear throughout the film. This element of oddity is something that we can all relate to on some level but Andersson takes it just one step further. My favorite odd scene is that of the man who receives the death penalty for breaking dishes at a family dinner after failing to perform the table cloth trick. Other examples of oddities is the scene with the man and woman having sex, while the woman is wearing a Viking hat.
The elements within this movie serve an entertainment and also an artistic purpose. Though not my favorite movie I did enjoy the majority of the film and found myself chuckling. Overall Roy Andersson directed an engaging and interesting film made with meticulous care and planning. Is interest in the artistic side of filming seals the deal and makes for one the most original movies I have ever seen.