A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence

What a bizarre little piece of art this is from Sweden! At the centre of the story (if there is one) is a pair of salesmen trying to sell joke-shop type party novelties (to some unlikely buyers). But actually, although that is the most commonly revisited theme, the film meanders off into the absurd and surreal aplenty - like Terry Gilliam and Salvador Dali got together one day over dinner and threw it all together!

It's funny in places, silly in places, sad in others and shocking too! It's supposed to be a reflection on human existence played out to reflect probably how existence is absurd and off-the-wall - and that most of us are off-our-trolleys, hoping to find meaning or purpose!

There are recurring themes and characters, plots following people which overlap and cross-fertilise, always with artistic leanings.

They seem to have made an art out of playing out scenes with a fixed camera position, some drawn out, like it was the view from a voyeuristic video.

According to IMDb the title was inspired by the painting The Hunters in the Snow by Pieter Bruegel the Elder and "contains 39 vignettes that examines the absurdity of ordinary life". According to Roy Andersson (Director) the film had been inspired by Ladri di biciclette (1948). I'm going to be checking out more of his work if I can find it.

This film came around on Film4 this week, so no doubt it'll be back, so if you get the chance do take a look. I'd be fascinated to hear what others think of this captivating and engaging artwork.

(En duva satt på en gren och funderade på tillvaron (original title))