A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence

*MILD-TO-NONEXISTENT SPOILERS: Describes a couple of the stories, but in the type of depth that you'd expect from a traditional newspaper review* A man half-heartedly looks at a series of exhibits in a museum before pausing with mild interest at a pigeon on a branch: it's dead, obviously. In the distance is a skeleton of a dinosaur, ancestor to the modern bird. So begins this extraordinarily dry, Swedish existentialist comedy – a collection of vignettes that poke fun at the absurdity of the human condition. In an early scene, a man lies dead on the floor of a cafeteria that looks like it's located in an airport. Unfortunately, the EMT reports, the man cannot be revived. But this creates a dilemma because, as the cashier explains to the authorities, the man had just paid for a beer and a shrimp sandwich. Yes, the authorities agree, it would be unethical to charge people for a meal that has already been paid for. And so the cashier calls out to the gawking onlookers: "Would anyone like a shrimp sandwich? Or a beer? It's free." I don't think I'm ruining anything when I say that arguably the film's crescendo is a debate among people standing at a bus stop over what day of the week it is. The stories are told with extreme irreverence, and at times they tread into the surreal. They are so thematically similar that the work feels more like a feature-length film than a series of shorts. This film is an example of the sum being greater than the whole of its parts. Told individually, the stories are funny, but taken together, they create a film that is thought-provoking and strangely moving.

Full of beauty and hilarity, this is a film that certainly isn't for everybody, but I definitely enjoyed it! There are so many great comic moments, as well as a wonderful emotional side. Watch the trailer, if you don't think it looks good to you, then you probably won't enjoy it.