10) A Pigeon Sat On A Branch Reflecting On Existence
The final entry in Roy Andersson’s trilogy “about being a human being,” A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence finds the Swedish director in familiar territory.
Pigeon’s two-dozen or so static tableauxs dedicated to life’s absurdity are of a feather with those seen in the “living” trilogy’s other entries. A debate is held over what should be done with a dead man’s last meal; a dance instructor lusts after her reluctant student; mopey salesmen struggle to hawk monster masks.
Andersson’s well-established comic sensibilities and Pigeon’s zany, but scattered vignettes make most of your first viewing feel like an extended victory lap, rather than a corker finale. It’s in the closing segments, though, that a more despairing view of Andersson’s works makes itself known, infusing not just Pigeon, but the entire “living” trilogy with an added dose of self-doubt to embitter your laughter.