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Fragments of existence build the absurdist tableaux of esteemed Swedish director Roy Andersson. Each stand-alone vignette in his features over the last two decades evolved from impressions that kindled an emotion within him. Their origin varies. Some reconceptualize scenarios he’s witnessed, while others take cues from fine art.
Via their incisive slant, Andersson winks at the tragedy of mankind, the cruel and preposterous causes for our anguish, the fleeting moments of joy, the evil we do unto others, the relationships we procure, and our inescapable mortality. Inside his impeccably composed static frames our humanity is irreverently scrutinized.
Andersson’s 2014 film “A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence,” which won the Golden Lion (top prize) from the Venice Film Festival, completed his critically revered trilogy on living that included 2000’s “Songs From the Second Floor” and 2007’s “You, the Living.”