natzel

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.

White Night Wedding leaves the audiences' minds spinning as we witness a wedding gone completely array. Baltasar Kormakur writes twisted story painted on the canvas of beautiful Iceland in complete juxtaposition to his first popular film 101 Reykjavik. As the movie unravels we witness the life of a middle aged professor, Jon, as he recovers from the suicide of his first wife and learns to accept a commitment to his second wife. In interview, Kormakur states that theme of the movie is the search for happiness, which is mixed with a few twists, turns and road blocks. Even against the odds, Jon finds his happiness as the audience enjoys Kormakur's sense of humor along the way. This movie offers moments of laughter but also leaves the audience guessing at what will happen next. We, as viewers, are drawn in by the music and the beautiful landscape and at the same time, put off, by suicide and debt issues that are intertwined into a cinematic masterpiece.

Nature evokes a great deal of emotion in this film and the symbolisms that accompany it are difficult to ignore. The first encounter the audience has with the drama surrounding nature is when Anna, Jon's first wife, strikes a swan with her car. We are met with the vivid image of crimson blood on white feathers. Shortly thereafter, the couple moves back to Anna's home town which is a small but charming island. Here, Anna's deep connection with nature comes alive. Though it is clear she is mentally unstable there is something charming about her devotion for nature. She tends to the sea like her garden when she creates a web of seaweed. In addition to Anna's devotion to nature, Kormakur frequently uses aerial shots of the island. Through these shots the audience is able to view the exquisite serenity of the Icelandic land.

Other themes emerge throughout the film, such as the theme of infectious mental illness. We can see Anna's mental illness and how it leaches into the lives of others. Anna forces Jon to leave his position of professor because she longs to be home. After moving back to her home island she loses trust in Jon, and any love left in their marriage slowly fades. After Anna encounters Jon during a sexual affair with a previous student, Þóra, her depression worsens and she is driven to suicide. Jon, wears the weight of her suicide around like a heavy cloak. Though, his affair did not help his wife's depression, he blames himself fully for her death and repeatedly says that he killed her. This notion that he was responsible for sucking the life from Anna, is the barrier that stand between him and his love for Þóra. This debt that he feels to his deceased wife is not relieved until he flings himself into the sea where she committed suicide. Jon's debt does not end there however.

Jon is also a debtor in the monetary sense. When Jon returns to the Iceland for his second marriage to Þóra he is sought out by his friends and family who hound him for money. We encounter his soon to be mother in law, shortly after arriving to the island. Immediately upon meeting her we can see that she is not pleased with his past actions. In fact he owes her a great deal of money for a golf course plan run amok. His mother doesn't trust his intentions with her daughter and is so hung up on his debt she can't see the devotion between Þóra and Jon. Nevertheless, this is not his only debt owed on the island. The morning of his wedding, Jon is awoken by breaking glass as golf balls are flung through his window. Börkur, an angry friend of Jon's is also here to collect a debt owed to him. From every angle, Jon is bombarded by his debts and his sins which again do not appear to be reconciled until his plunge in the ocean.

Quite possibly my favorite theme in the movie, is that of music. Music seems to permeate all areas of this film. The first experience we have with music being performed in the film is through the musical talent of Anna. Anna requests that a piano be sent to her island home. Later it is during times of turmoil that we see her passionately playing. Other characters are deeply involved in music also. Lárus, the soon to be father in law of Jon sings beautiful opera throughout the film. My favorite scene is most definitely his early morning dip where he awakens the inhabitants of the island with is booming operatic voice.

There is also a great deal of parallel between the "old" life of Jon with his deceased wife and his new life with Þóra. About half of the movie is made up of flashbacks, these flash backs are presumably the memories of Jon. At times it is difficult to differentiate between the present and the past. This is done to portray the stark difference between Anna and Þóra and the difference between past unhappiness and current happiness. This is enforced by the dreary and dark weather of past scenes compared with the bright scenes of the present. At the same time this is in contrast with the static portrayal of the island and its people. The audience can see that life for Jon changes dramatically while the small sleepy town remains consistent and folksy. This theme of rural life is a common theme in many Icelandic films.

In conclusion Kormakur puts on a great show. Though this film is not similar to his past success, 101 Reykjavik, it holds its own position in his collection of films. The message of a search for happiness is theme that most can relate with. Along with this the audience enjoys the gorgeous nature in the film and beautiful music. All elements in combination make a quite striking film.