Wordiezett So much average

Ceticultsot Beautiful, moving film.

SparkMore n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

Inmechon The movie's only flaw is also a virtue: It's jammed with characters, stories, warmth and laughs.

eespeysundt Do you ever feel like you are completely alone or that no one else could possibly understand the way you are feeling? While I would venture to guess that almost everyone has felt this way at some point in their life, viewing You, The Living, by Roy Andersson (2007) is a valuable experience, even if you haven't experienced feelings of loneliness and solidarity. This film presents the intimate moments of several different people's lives. Through several small anecdotes viewers are invited to watch people as they experience the joy and daily struggles that are all a part of the human experience. The anecdotes illustrate a variety of experiences, but all of them present the idea of longing; a longing to feel understood, a longing to connect with others in a meaningful way, a longing to do something important/valuable within one's life, etc. However, many of the characters' wishes and hopes for the future seem silly. For example, the young woman who has a crush on Micke Larsson (Eric Bäckman) believes that if only she could be with him, then everything in her life would be alright. Similarly, the woman in the opening scene wants a motorcycle to leave town with the belief that her problems will stay behind. The characters' ideas and visions for the future are unrealistic because there are no simple answers or "fixes" to being happy and living in the moment. Andersson explores difficult questions through this film; Do we matter to anyone? Would people notice if we just disappeared? What is the meaning of living in the moment and being alive? Through oddball characters and over-the-top scenarios, viewers are presented with a dark but comedic look on life. Sometimes it feels as though everything in the world is backwards in relation to what we expect or perceive during certain situations. This feeling is reflected and explored through the multitude of small sketches that make up the film. Take the psychiatrist sketch for example. He prescribes tons of pills to his patients claiming that he is too tired to help people become happy through therapy. Since this scenario presents a situation we might not expect, or something that goes against the norms of society, we are forced to think critically and question the meaning of what we are seeing. The viewers takes viewers on a whirlwind adventure of musical entertainment. Several genres are represented, and an interactive approach is taken to incorporating sounds to the film. The opening is characterized by grand, sweeping orchestral music. Micke Larsson's character adds a large element to the film by the inclusion of rock music. An unusually popular genre for Sweden, the inclusion of this sketch is also supported by the two characters in the opening of the film who also portray a "hardcore" vibe. Another interesting aspect to the sounds/music in the film is the interactive approach that is taken. In several of the smaller stories background music is playing and characters begin to play an instrument or speak in rhythm, adding a supplement to the background track. This is evident in the scene where the man begins to play the sousaphone in his kitchen, as well as when another man participates in the funeral band. This film is one of the latest film of Swedish director Roy Andersson, and is one of only five feature films that he has directed. Andersson's career has been directed mostly towards commercials as well as a few short films. While You the Living certainly has overarching themes, the film is broken up somewhat into the individual stories of several characters. These stories come together to emphasis the often comedic tragedies of life, and while they might be less effective at communicating this point as an isolated incident the story of each character could be viewed on it's own. This could be link to Andersson's experience of working in shorts and commercials is apparent; he is comfortable conveying a large message or point in a more condensed period of time. This film is certainly successful in pushing me to question what I was viewing. However, I will also say that I found this film to be confusing. The multiple story lines, while reflective of the chaotic nature of life, were sometimes difficult to piece together. I can certainly respect the themes of interconnectedness and the universal human experience that Andersson explored throughout this film, but I do feel that through the seemingly random collection of anecdotes this message may be confusing or difficult to see. But if you are looking for an artsy film to analyze or just something out of the ordinary, then I would definitely recommend this film.

ThurstonHunger I wonder if I enjoyed this film in spite of itself? The message seems bleak even by Nordic standards. Love is repeatedly unrequited, people feel sorry for themselves directly as in the woman who launches the film, or indirectly like the woman visiting her grandmother in the nursing home.Dreams taunt or haunt the dreamers. Dreams do seem to merit the longer scenes in this panorama parade. The guy stuck in life/traffic recounting his death by dinner party dream, young Anna and her rock and roll fantasy. Granted the apartment on wheels was nicely done, showing how she wants to move on...and gradually drawing your attention to the window, where eventually adoring strangers throng.Music might be the most beautiful thing that men or women can create in this film, often at the displeasure of their spouses or neighbors. Nature, or specifically the weather, garners more respect than anything else. The powerful declarations when the thunder spoke, and then towards the end, the sort of beatific visions of people looking away from not just their friends and family, but from themselves to the clouds in the sky.Or is it to the planes. And are they bombers? Poking fun at bureaucracy worked well. Something about the barber scene was very enjoyable. The psychiatrist's confession also resonated with my more abject attitudes. The scene in the rich man's restaurant is likely to be a fan favorite.There's probably more going on than I pulled out of viewing this over a couple of nights between my own (pathetic) living. Stark and spare walls in all scenes make things seem even emptier than they are. But when Don Quixote appears on a wall, and bus is headed to/from Lethe, these are surely more than mere signs.Not sure, but I wonder if in America if Coen Brothers' fans might like the sort of treatment of the less than photogenic people going about their small lives. Plenty of drab and flab on dismal display.Is this a film for We, the Dead to laugh at You, The Living? Or just a mirror...

kayangel1431-1 "I had a dream last night..." This repeated line sets the tone and much of the plot for Roy Andersson's film You, the Living. You, the Living is a film that gives the viewer a few scenes of a number of people's lives and gives them the opportunity to see what the characters had dreamed the night before. These characters live very mundane and repetitive lives and the movie goer is given an opportunity to see into their more fantastical imaginings about what their life could be like. This non-linear story progresses through a series of glimpses into the everyday lives of a number of characters – some who turn out to be connected to each other and others who do not. The repetition of the music of the 'New Orleans' jazz band and the phrase "I had a dream last night" are the strongest connections that the viewer can make to understand the story. Roy Andersson seems to be taking a study of the everyday realities of human life and the mundane repetition that compromises so much of it. Andersson is able to manipulate these realities by looking into the dreaming minds of his characters, and showing what their dreams from the previous night actually looked like – playing them out as if they were a part of reality. The audience gets to see everything from a man put to death for breaking antique china – to a young woman marrying a rock star and the awesome times they have together. These dreams are completely absurd but played out as if they were completely realistic. Overall it is an interesting story that attempts to look at reality and absurdity together.I think that the different dreams that Andersson (and the writers) have chosen for their characters to have and for the audience to see are very interesting and completely opposite of each other in every way. On the one hand we have the dream of broken china and the death penalty. If I were a psychologist I'm sure that I could have a field day with all the dreams in this movie, but the first one seems to have the most blatant symbolism of fear about public performance and a fear of death. I adore how this man is overwhelmed by this feeling that he must be the entertainment at a sad dinner wake and the way that his dream plays out. Andersson is brilliant in the extremely careful setup as he exams the different pieces of china and the different sides of the table cloth – only to have all his worst fears come true when the china comes flying off with the table cloth. We then move on to the masterfully absurd court scene in which this poor, scared out of his wits gentleman is sentenced to death for his awful crime of destroying antique china.Andersson uses absurdism to point out a lot of the more quirky aspects of our everyday lives that we may just not be paying attention to. He contrasts the daily call for last drinks at the local bar with a young woman's dream of her life as it would be married to a rock star. By using so many extremes in the film Andersson is able to get at the quintessential idea that life can be mundane and repetitious if we allow it to be, but if we dream big dreams and try to pursue bigger things, our lives can be more than just the daily grind we live through every day.While I found this film difficult to follow at times, and slightly confusing in the formatting – with periods of very little dialogue and seemingly unconnected actions, in a close viewing I really enjoyed the overall message of the film. I found the filming style of Andersson to be very interesting and it is clear that he is a real masterful filmmaker. He was able to connect a group of seemingly unconnected scenes in an interesting and entertaining way. I think that this is the type of film that only gets more compelling and interesting as you view it multiple times. As you continue to understand the connections of the characters and how their dreams fit into the realities that they live you are able to see how compelling the story of everyday life can be especially when you look at the dreams that go with it. Overall I recommend this film if you are willing to dedicate yourself to the multiple viewings it takes to truly appreciate it.

C Jo **This may contain spoilers**Roy Andersson presents viewers with a film of unconventional content. Lacking the traditional plot and list of main characters, You, the Living is a commentary on life's ups, downs, success and struggles as told through 50 some-odd "mini stories". Each scene, while simplistic and short, speaks to a different aspect of human nature. Each scene is simple in part because a single, static camera angle is used. Every scene in You, the Living uses a straight on camera angle. This single camera angle focuses audience's right into the heart of the scene. There is no jerking or nauseating camera movement to be distracted by. The static camera angle also prevents from the audience seeing any close ups of the actors. This makes the whole film seem somewhat distant and makes the characters hard to become emotionally attached to. Furthermore, each scene is adorned with simple props. Only what is necessary to the message of the scene is incorporated. With that said, Andersson also uses the scenery and props in order to bring some continuity to the film. For example, the same amateur band is seen playing in the background during several scenes and the same bar is used as a location. Lastly, almost every scene uses the same, bright, artificial lighting. The lighting has a tendency to wash out the colors and make the film have a uniform, muted color palate. Although You, the Living commentates on many different aspects of life and human nature, there seem to be two major unifying themes in the film. The first one, life goes on, is presented right from the start of the film. Mia, a "miserable wench on a bench" wails that no one understands her. While she lingers on the idea that she was happy yesterday but is not today, the man with her points out that that was yesterday, in the past. His advice to her invokes the importance of being present in our lives here and today. Similarly, later on the film, audiences are prompted to remember that tomorrow is another day and to try and recall good memories when life gets tough. The second unifying theme is to be kind to everyone you met. You never know when someone has been fighting with their loved ones, dealing with complex emotions or just hasn't had anything go right for them that day. Although our interactions with strangers are just a fraction of our days and lives, how we conduct ourselves in the presence of that person can have a huge impact on their day and life. With that said, You, the Living reminds us to live in comradeship with our fellow human beings. What I particularly enjoyed about this film was the little bits of subtle humor mixed in. The messages of each scene are quiet serious and deep but have little elements which make it funny. For example, the large and "biker tough" couple in one of the opening scenes have a tiny, little, fluffy dog which contradicts the "biker tough" image portrayed otherwise. In another scene, when a man is being unjustly punished by death with the electric chair for breaking 200 year old china, the "victims" are watching the execution and enjoying buckets of popcorn. Only a keen and observant eye will pick up on the subtle humor of the popcorn. I believe Andersson was using these sprinklings of humor to portray two ideas to audiences. The first is to really pay attention. By really focusing and paying attention in life you will pick up on so much more and get more enjoyment out of life. Secondly, the little bits of humor remind audiences not to take life too seriously and to find humor in every situation. In all I really enjoyed Roy Andersson's You, the Living. I believe the film would have benefited from cutting out a few scenes in order to shorten it and be able to keep audiences engaged more. By the last 20 minutes of the movie I was getting tired of the individual scenes and somewhat randomness of the film. While I really enjoyed this film, I believe it takes two or three sittings to really get all of messages and ideas Andersson is trying to portray. It takes some time to get used to the randomness of individual scenes and to get a sense of his style and overall themes. If I knew my friend was patient and a critical and reflective thinker than I would definitely recommend this film. I would, though, have to keep in mind the style of the film and the personality of the friend when considering a recommendation.