Songs from the Second Floor

A Swedish film built out of fixed frames. The narrative does not follow a straight story. The film consists of loosely connected scenes and each scene is a single shot. The camera never moves; the performers enter and leave the frame. The subject is the collapse of a city. The traffic is jammed and nobody can move. A man has burned down his own furniture shop and is waiting on the insurance. Another throws away the crucifixes he cannot sell. Economists look for a way out of the crisis in a meeting. A crowd flagellating itself walks down the street. The register is black comedy but it is not funny; the scenes are held long, running until the viewer is uncomfortable. The visual scheme is highly particular: drained colour, grey make-up, deep sets and almost no natural light. Most of the scenes were built in a studio and the preparation took years. Roy Andersson directed; he came from commercials and makes films at long intervals. It won the jury prize at Cannes. One of the most original examples of its kind for anyone who likes experimental cinema and formal experiment. For a viewer who wants a story, the film builds no plot and follows no character.