Review of A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (2014) by Alberto A — 01 Oct 2015

Directed by Swedish director Roy Andersson, â??A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existenceâ?? is one of the most bizarre and dynamic films Iâ??ve seen this year. You can probably tell, judging by the title. This film for all intents and purposes, is a film that follows two men for brief periods of time, as they routinely live their boring and lame lives. This is inter-cut by tiny vignettes of random and trivial things happening to people, while everyone else just keeps going with their lives. I know, this is pretty strange. At first glance, these snippets of life might not make sense, but if you try and make sense to them, then you start doing exactly what Andersson wants you to do, which is reflecting. However, just translate those same questions and reflections into life itself.

What is the point of all of this? What is the point of life? Why are the characters doing that? Why do we do what we do? Why are we interested in seeing taxidermied animals like that old guy in the opening scene? If pigeons get by by just sitting on branches and eating and sleeping all day, why do we (humans) fill our time with banalities and things that will always be temporary? You may ask yourself, how is it that a movie like this can instigate such questions? Well, throughout the entire film, we see characters involved in activities that donâ??t make a lot of sense to us because we are just present for a tiny amount of time, which leads us to think about the relevance of it all in the realm of the movie itself, however, we also recognize and sometimes relate to some of those pathetic characters who are just trying to make themselves important in a world where billions and billions of people are attempting exactly the same thing. For instance, throughout the film, we intermittently see a handful of people talking over the phone and telling a person â??Iâ??m happy to hear youâ??re doing fineâ??, although they didnâ??t seem as happy as they said they were. In fact, it is fair to say that it looked like their life sucked at that moment, and most especially after receiving a phone call of someone rubbing it in their face that their life is going great. Have you ever felt that about someone? It is something that we would prefer not to think about, but we are all in this contained little world of ours, as well as billions of other people, so why should we care? I donâ??t know if these conclusions are what Andersson sought to ignite within people when he wrote the film, but thatâ??s whatâ??s beautiful about this type of cinema; that part of the plot is accounting for the tons of different interpretations thereof.

Apart from its deep philosophical endeavors, the film is incredibly stylish. For every vignette we see, the camera is static and the take is as long as the scene itself. The production design is marvelous and a wonder to look at. All of the scenes look like still-life canvases that can translate into how a single image is a single moment out of a bajillion more. Maybe that is what those vignettes signify. Filled with pastel colors, surrealist perspectives, and old-fashioned vintage props, the imagery looks like straight out of a Magritte painting.

It is also quite funny in a dark way since it works by mocking the absurdity of the ordinary, therefore, you WILL laugh just because situations in the film are extremely random and quirky.

â??A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existenceâ?? is definitely not for everyone. This film is not for the people that just want to watch films for entertainment. It is for the ones that want to go there and face their own reflection on the screen, or reflect about life and the world, or reflect about their own existence, or just to think and be mindful. However, I do think the film goes overboard on its weirdness and that took me out of what it was attempting to trigger in my mind, it could have been less bizarre and still get its point across. Maybe, just maybe, you, and me, and the entire viewership of this film, are supposed to be pigeons sitting on branches reflecting on existence, and the movie is named after ourselves. In this sense, the filmâ??s purpose is just to be a vessel that can instigate this kinds of thoughts; a platform where we can play and be existential. This film made such an impact, that I am still figuring out many things that do not make sense to me just yet. Therefore, this is definitely worth a shot. This is what the impact of art feels like.