sharky_55
This is Andersson's follow up to Songs From The Second Floor in what is supposed to be a loose trilogy, spanning more than a decade and each seven years apart. And it is not dissimilar. Songs was about a bleak and futile beginning of the new millennium, about the past coming back and haunting our characters, about the pervasive sense of disillusionment that converges so brilliantly in the final scene. Here, because Andersson injects more humour into the film, it resembles his many commercials much more than Songs, and becomes a complaint heavy film. There are characters complaining about not being understood, characters complaining about bad haircuts, about neighbours practising loudly with their brass instruments, and sometimes they are valid, sometimes they are not. The backdrop is the same; the same sense of dread at the future, of financial and emotional instability, of life being wasted, but while Songs did not provide a remedy, You, The Living provides a compromise. A whole cast of characters look up from their menial day-to-day tasks, and as a whole squadron of bombers prepares to bombard the city, a warning is heeded. But it is funny first and foremost, and I think this is the major difference from Songs. That had the same city of characters, but each of them seemed to be going through the same life crisis. In You, The Living, Andersson prepares no less than fifty living canvases of different classes, careers and aspirations, and shows all their unique woes and worries, and then lightly laughs at them for this (a psychiatrist has begun to feel the weight of all his patients, and refuses to treat them anymore, or a man bemoans the loss of his retirement funds during sex). The beginning is as telling as ever; a heavyset punk middle-aged woman moans about how no one understands her, how all she wants to do is get away from it all, and then starts to sing in time to a brass tune that pumps up and introduces the opening credits. And here is another difference; Songs was tranquil in its soundtrack, and the weeping of its city took over, but here a Dixieland jazz theme by Benny Andersson seems to creep in and out of scenes (along with a thunderstorm), whether it belongs or not. An example of this would be at the funeral of the CEO; the sudden cut seems to signal the key message, that life can end so suddenly, and therefore it is that much more precious.The film touches upon each of these characters, and explores how they differently deal with grief, or pain, or suffering. It is the same kind of suffering, but it becomes so funny and unique how they retreat to different areas of their imagination. A carpenter spends an eternity narrating in traffic jam a dream whereupon he fails to perform a magic trick, and much like the failed sawing of the volunteer in Songs, it is funny, but moreso in an absurd way, instead of depressive. The comedic timing here milks the failure for all its worth, and then keeps going; the sentencing is done via auction, and look for the the man quickly thumbing through the instruction manual for the electric chair moments before the execution is to be carried out. A hairdresser has been taking a barrage of xenophobic comments over the years, and lashes out, but amends by 'fixing' it, and that becomes a rather pointed comment at the businessman's age. A woman begins a well-meaning prayer about the pervasive problems of society (and I have seen many describe this as the bleakest scene in the film, an electric condemnation), but it quickly descends into a rather ironic and hilarious bit as she begins to pass harshly judgement herself, as the list grows and grows without any attempt to slow down, and as she keeps the church waiting. And we see how various inhabitants react to the incessant and loud practising of the brass band. There are also moments of such starkness that oppose this comedy, and Andersson manages to take such simple and common problems and explore how unique our reactions to them are. He depicts not a marriage couple fighting, because the insults hurled are of course childish and of no real meaning, but the aftermath, split into two separate scenes, where their worries spill into their careers, and others offer their advice. A girl has bumped into her idol singer, before being directed to the wrong address, and turns up instead to the brass band's rehearsal (and here we see subtly how Andersson weaves the stories together). Each scene in You, The Living is a long take, but her daydream is the most vivid of them all. Who hasn't let their imagination run wild into endless idyllic territory? Andersson's construction of this cosy apartment block mounted atop a train becomes so heart-lifting in its symbolism, as the crowd gather and congratulate their marriage. Where will you go, they ask? Does it matter? It is also one of the only times a character directly addresses the camera, and we can feel the young girl's heartbreak through the screen, even for a fantasy so far-fetched. Songs, seven years ago, would have reacted to this with such cynicism and bite that crushes her dreams instantly. But here, she is allowed to be vulnerable, to have a little hope. The characters are self-absorbed, wallowing in pity, and each think their lives are over, but that is the depth in them. That someone could be so petty, or hypocritical, or so lost in imagination. That delightfully warmed bed is sometimes just so, so comfortable.
C Jo
**This may contain spoilers**Roy Andersson presents viewers with a film of unconventional content. Lacking the traditional plot and list of main characters, You, the Living is a commentary on life's ups, downs, success and struggles as told through 50 some-odd "mini stories". Each scene, while simplistic and short, speaks to a different aspect of human nature. Each scene is simple in part because a single, static camera angle is used. Every scene in You, the Living uses a straight on camera angle. This single camera angle focuses audience's right into the heart of the scene. There is no jerking or nauseating camera movement to be distracted by. The static camera angle also prevents from the audience seeing any close ups of the actors. This makes the whole film seem somewhat distant and makes the characters hard to become emotionally attached to. Furthermore, each scene is adorned with simple props. Only what is necessary to the message of the scene is incorporated. With that said, Andersson also uses the scenery and props in order to bring some continuity to the film. For example, the same amateur band is seen playing in the background during several scenes and the same bar is used as a location. Lastly, almost every scene uses the same, bright, artificial lighting. The lighting has a tendency to wash out the colors and make the film have a uniform, muted color palate. Although You, the Living commentates on many different aspects of life and human nature, there seem to be two major unifying themes in the film. The first one, life goes on, is presented right from the start of the film. Mia, a "miserable wench on a bench" wails that no one understands her. While she lingers on the idea that she was happy yesterday but is not today, the man with her points out that that was yesterday, in the past. His advice to her invokes the importance of being present in our lives here and today. Similarly, later on the film, audiences are prompted to remember that tomorrow is another day and to try and recall good memories when life gets tough. The second unifying theme is to be kind to everyone you met. You never know when someone has been fighting with their loved ones, dealing with complex emotions or just hasn't had anything go right for them that day. Although our interactions with strangers are just a fraction of our days and lives, how we conduct ourselves in the presence of that person can have a huge impact on their day and life. With that said, You, the Living reminds us to live in comradeship with our fellow human beings. What I particularly enjoyed about this film was the little bits of subtle humor mixed in. The messages of each scene are quiet serious and deep but have little elements which make it funny. For example, the large and "biker tough" couple in one of the opening scenes have a tiny, little, fluffy dog which contradicts the "biker tough" image portrayed otherwise. In another scene, when a man is being unjustly punished by death with the electric chair for breaking 200 year old china, the "victims" are watching the execution and enjoying buckets of popcorn. Only a keen and observant eye will pick up on the subtle humor of the popcorn. I believe Andersson was using these sprinklings of humor to portray two ideas to audiences. The first is to really pay attention. By really focusing and paying attention in life you will pick up on so much more and get more enjoyment out of life. Secondly, the little bits of humor remind audiences not to take life too seriously and to find humor in every situation. In all I really enjoyed Roy Andersson's You, the Living. I believe the film would have benefited from cutting out a few scenes in order to shorten it and be able to keep audiences engaged more. By the last 20 minutes of the movie I was getting tired of the individual scenes and somewhat randomness of the film. While I really enjoyed this film, I believe it takes two or three sittings to really get all of messages and ideas Andersson is trying to portray. It takes some time to get used to the randomness of individual scenes and to get a sense of his style and overall themes. If I knew my friend was patient and a critical and reflective thinker than I would definitely recommend this film. I would, though, have to keep in mind the style of the film and the personality of the friend when considering a recommendation.
