Songs from the Second Floor (2000)

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Songs from the Second Floor (2000) – R. Andersson

After watching Andersson’s second “modern” work, You, the Living (2007) about six years ago (on an airplane), I wrote in my notes “pastel absurdity” and gave it 4.5 stars.  As in that film, this earlier one is a tale told by anecdote: Andersson sets up his frame as a painter would the canvas and then allows the action to unfold in long shot within it, then he sets up the next frame/scene in a different space, and so on.  Extreme care and attention are paid to color (more muted than pastel here, but with the occasional splash of orange or red), lighting, and the balance of characters and objects in the space (some in deeper focus).  However, in Songs from the Second Floor, there is a narrative of sorts, with recurring characters encountering an array of tragicomic situations that document (more or less) the frailty and vulnerability of we humans.  One character even utters the (translated from Swedish) phrase, “It’s tough being human sometimes”.  There are some bloody scenes here (those splashes of red) as people encounter physical peril, but a lot of the pain and suffering is emotional (as in life). However, despite all the woe, Andersson’s film is darkly funny; someone made a reference to The Far Side cartoons, and perhaps that’s not too far wrong.  As with other “existential” films that highlight our shared human concerns, seeing people deal with all this (and then laughing?) somehow makes life feel more invigorating.  I am excited to see Andersson’s newest feature, A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (2014).