(Songs from the Second Floor)
i rented this yesterday at blockbuster because it was a swedish film that seemed to have some credentials (cannes (wow, i just learned that it actually won the jury prize at cannes in 2000), the british independent film awards, etc) and i knew absolutely nothing about it.
the film is an existentialist tale. a gloomy end-of-the-world standstill hovers over the length of the film, with its characters living in a state of confusion, fear and self-doubt. not a very cheery subject, i know; but don't be fooled - the film is very funny. the trick is that it never takes itself too seriously, thanks to the extremely dry sense of humor (swedish, i assume) and the straight presentation of its characters (the film is told in portraits - scenes are made up of single master shots - incredibly well-crafted master shots, at that); think of the recent ikea tv spots and you got a great idea of the tone of the film. most of the time, the precise nature of these people's miseries are either never revealed or are presented much later without much relevance. the plot is not important here, it's the people and their views on existence that make it interesting to watch.
the dvd has no extra whatsoever but boasts a really good-looking picture that serves the magnificient cinematography very well. the (mostly live) audio is in swedish or french, with english or french subtitles.
:: rent it. this is one of the good films.
Posted by Anonymous | 12:48 PM
