Cheap Songs From the Second Floor (DVD) (Roy Andersson) Price

Related Products

Customer Reviews of Songs From the Second Floor

Upon watching it again, I felt it lost something compared to the presentation on the massive screen and enthusiastic 800+ audience at the Virginia Theatre. The visuals are intentionally drab, but incredibly rich and detailed; hence, the small screen is not kind. Also, like much absurdist art, it is difficult to recapture the emotional shock and wonderment of the first viewing. But yet the movie is still compelling on DVD.

This Swedish comedy is dark, brooding, irreverent and often times disturbing. From the grey skies to the traffic-jammed streets to the predominantly obese and ashen-faced cast, this movie makes no attempt to be be pretty or cheery. However, certain scenes of despair are so full of beauty, one smiles despite oneself. I am reminded of certain scenes from the work of Terry Gilliam.

The plot is rather simple: things are not going well in this fictional Scandinavian city and the citizens are getting desperate. Don't ask why or where -- it's truly unimportant. Woven into this fabric is Caesar Vallejo's poem "Beloved be the man who sits down," the verses of which form a a type of modern beatitudes extolling the merits of the mundane individual. In the movie, the poem is written by the protaganist's son, who now resides in a mental hospital. Ironically, the people in the patients in the mental hospital appear to be the only sane residents in a city gone loopy as capitalism, government and religion fail its increasingly desperate and selfish citizens.

A great film to see, but really not for everyone.

Esthetically stunning and visually poetic...
Songs from the Second Floor is visually stunning as it esthetically illustrates a cynical view of the human existence. This view consists of a kaleidoscope of scenes that personify desire, fear, guilt, and anxiety among other human traits. These human characteristics are symbolically tied up with the everlasting traffic jam that is depicted in the film as the characters are constantly unavailable for each other as they are trying to get somewhere better. This search could be a quest for happiness; however, the search itself might be the cause of the gloomy state of the characters. Songs from the Second Floor is based on a poem by Caesar Vallejo, and Andersson extracts the darkness of the verse as he brings a brilliant cinematic experience to the silver screen, which will cerebrally agonize the audience in a poetic and artistic manner.

Before you jump...
If you feel you need a push, an extra little something to convince you that there is no point to life, no point at all - watch this film.

No plot.
Unrelentingly depressing.
Interminably long.
Excruciatingly slow.

It consists of a series of unrelated scenes. In each scene, awful, humiliating and depressing things happen. A demented person lies in hospital. A man screams after he caught his hand in a train door. Dead people walk around. People are being hanged. I had no idea what was going on. Except that it was all horrible. As an added bonus, everyone in the film is sick or dead or at the very least morbidly obese and sickly looking. If not actually sick. And dying.

Apparently there is deep meaning in this film. It's 'philosophical'. Apparently you have to 'decipher the images'.

I just wanted to scream. Like Munch.
Decipher that.

I've heard this film being compared to Bunuel. I guess if you like him, you might want to give it a shot. Otherwise, spare yourself the torment. Life is short. Why waste any moment?