About Endlessness * * *

I saw a great man who couldn't get started.

I've been looking forward to this for years: not joking.  Because that's how long it takes for Roy Andersson to make each of his meticulous films.  His last film was before I started this blog. I've seen most everything that Swedish director Roy Andersson has done and in many ways this is more of the same, which is exactly what I wanted. After all, no one else is quite like Roy Andersson. 

Except with this film I felt a little disappointed.  

My disappointment comes from the fact that these scenes do not come together to make a narrative or a theme such as Andersson did in "The Living" trilogy.  As my friend said "It felt like an assemblage of outtakes from his previous films".  And the humour?  Andersson's wonderful dark humour is barely there.

Nearly every scene is introduced with a narrative "I saw a man who...." or a "I saw a woman who....".  But the narrative comes across as a decorative attempt to bring some cohesion. 

Predictably, most of the scenes are beautiful and memorable, reflecting Andersson's unique commentary and celebration of life, and if you've not seen Roy Andersson's work before, it's worth going to see for that reason alone.  You might consider this film a sampler.  It is not much more than an hour long anyway.  And you will get his magnificent framing, colour and atmosphere. They are paintings come to life. 

But if you really want to see Roy Andersson at his best, complete with the humor, pathos and tragedy, go see any of the three films from "The Living" trilogy.

One strategically placed telling scene shows a man in a wilderness area who can't get his car started.  I can only wonder if Andersson was telling us something about himself.