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Roy Andersson

En Kärlekshistoria * Roy Andersson (1970)

We got a box with Roy Andersson films and started with the oldest one. Roy Andersson got known for his extremely slow and absurdistic films, but this teenage lovestory is pretty straightforward.

The just-fifteen Pär and the beautiful big-eyed, short skirted and almost-fourteen Annika fall in love. This does initially not go too smoothly, but soon things are a-okay and they even spend a weekend with both families. Like I said, the film is pretty straightforward with no unexpected storylines or filming. Towards the end, with the family weekend, the film forshadows later Scandinavian films such as “Festen” a little.

Sånger Från Andra Våningen * Roy Andersson * 2000

songs from the second floor

I had read quite a few things about this film, but it took some effort to see it in our local ‘filmhouse’. Some people compare this film with Monty Python’s Flying Circus, others just find it hilarious. As for myself, well, it is definately a strange film with a strange kind of humour, but Monty Python? nah. By far not as hilarious and dumb and also Andersson doesn’t have the quality level (or not as much my sense of humour).

“Sånger” consists of different strange scenes which either or not have something to do with eachother. Often the only link between two scenes is that the same persons are in it. Overall there is some kind of a story in the film which is actually rather depressing. Indeed there is a lot of humour in a really vague and absurd style which sometimes does bring memories of Monty Python, but all through the film there is not that much to laugh I think. Several scenes are massive with a lot of people and enormously strange and I wonder what some scenes have to do with the rest.

So, if you like absurd humour and you can stand the extremely slow Scandinavian way of filming, try and see “Sånger Från Andra Våningen”. <3>