Songs from the Second Floor Reviews

Years ago, I was searching for a surreal film, something vast and strange and incomprehensible that I would struggle to wrap my brain around, when I found Roy Andersson’s dystopian masterpiece. Meticulously photographed and yet minimally directed, with mise-en-scène that would make even Orson Welles jealous, the film tells the story of Kalle, a local businessman who sets fire to his office in an attempt at insurance fraud. His son, whom he loathes, is unreachable—lost in himself and unable to cope with the sadness of the world around him. Or as his father says, “He wrote poetry until he went nuts!” Across the city, a magician accidentally cuts a man in half. A man is fired just before retirement. A swindler tosses his plastic product into a garbage heap, uttering, “Who could ever hope to profit from a crucified loser?” A traffic jam has not moved for days. A board of directors sacrifices a child to turn the markets in their favor, as a last resort. The priests watch on. And the ghosts of the past still wander the streets, as cold and empty as the living. I will close with a quote from Roger Ebert:

”You have never seen a film like this before. You may not enjoy it but you will not forget it.”