magda_butra Andersson is not using a typical plot. He presents couple of stories, which may or may not relate to one another. They don't have to comment on each other, comment on life, say anything at all. If there are connections between the scenes or the characters, they are not important. A particular scene can be a pearl by itself. All are shot from one angle, with no cut. All the colours are typically Swedish - monochrome, faded pastels, beige, brown and grey, no intensity (thanks to this measure whenever the director uses a vibrant colour it catches the eye immediately). All the sceneries are very Swedish as well - the interiors are very simple, with almost no decorations, showing only useful items. Andersson shows mainly the inside of the flats, but whenever he goes on the streets, he follows this pattern - modernistic architecture with clean cuts of the brick, faded shades of the colours. He uses all the most Swedish surroundings that he can find. But is he showing Swedish society?There are samples of life, which are undoubtedly Swedish, there are processes, which can be found in several societies. For the former I might mention a scene with drinking songs. I know, it's basically a human quality to sing and drink, but Swedes have some unique lyrics and games, known across all counties and generations. For the latter there is of course Nazism, hidden in the movie and in Swedish society as well and this may apply to other countries. Sweden is such an interesting case for that - as a country neutral during the second world war, brining humanitarian help, on the other hand having many supporters of this ideology.Andersson is showing different aspects of life - conflict in the marriage, children taking advantage of their parents, lost love, loneliness, Nazism. Those might be universal issues, affecting all humans, taken up by numerous artists so far. In You, the Living Andersson is playing smoothly with all measures possible. It's hard to judge the movie as a whole, I enjoyed particular scenes. Maybe they are pure absurd, mumbling, overdrawn. Maybe there is a meaning, message, interpretation. Andersson is surprising me with absurdity of life, not always so unexpected. He surprises me with normality. One does not have to be a freak to be weird.

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...

Andy Steel This film consists of a series of vignettes with one common theme; that fact that the protagonists have life harder than everyone else. It's very interesting and very darkly humorous in places. It's one of those films I would like to watch again at some point because I'm sure I'd get much more out of it a second time around. There are many and varied characters including a woman who just wants everyone to 'go away' because nobody understands her… but will probably be round later for tea. A girl who is a fan of a guitarist in a rock band; she is depressed because she wants to marry him, but she can't see how that could happen. A depressed psychiatrist who has given up and just prescribes pills now. There are many more and they all seem interconnected. The music was very interesting; mostly traditional or rag-time jazz but with a little bit of rock thrown in every now and again. All the performances were excellent throughout and I love the, almost comic book, look and feel of the film. I have to admit I probably enjoyed this one a tad more than my score might suggest. Definitely one that will get a second viewing sometime.SteelMonster's verdict: RECOMMENDEDMy score: 6.4/10You can find an expanded version of this review on my blog: Thoughts of a SteelMonster.

tombrookes2007 The Swedish film is billed as a comedic meditation, but for me it was just too arty, cold and a study from a warped artistic mind. There are apparently 50 ironic vignettes in this film, whereby a mainly muted story made from rolling scenes of uncomfortable nonsense combines visions of bored individuals, with a link to musical instruments. The film could be interpreted as deep, meaningful and different but most will see it for the art for arts sake tripe study of expression that makes art so subjective and personal. Be in the mood, for enlightenment, and see what you can draw from this piece of film.Here, filmmaker Roy Andersson draws the viewer into the world of a woman whose most uplifting moments are always balanced by tragedy, and whose joy is constantly offset by sorrow. This comic tragedy of life manifests itself in a manner that all can surely relate to, it's just whether YOU GET IT