A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence

En duva satt på en gren och funderade på tillvaron

Roy Andersson, Sweden, 2014

100 mins

7.8 / 10 (5066)

Comedy Drama

Synopsis

Sam and Jonathan, a pair of hapless novelty salesmen, take us on a kaleidoscopic tour of the human condition, unfolding in absurdist episodes: a sing-along at a 1940s beer hall, a randy flamenco teacher, a thirsty King Charles XII of Sweden en route to battle, and more slices of reality and fantasy.

MUBI's take

Roy Andersson, one of today’s most unique auteurs, reached new heights of absurdity with this deadpan, dark tragicomedy, a Golden Lion winner at the Venice Film Festival! Told in moving tableaux, Andersson’s hilariously existential scenes throb with a strange—and strangely satisfying—desperation.