A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence

Roy Andersson is a filmmaker I have never heard of before. He is one that appears to have been around for quite a while now, operating in the European areas of film with what I can only assume is a library of some of cinema's strangest but intriguing films to have been released. I should start this review by stating that I am certainly, without a doubt, not the target audience for this film, and getting through it w…

Pretty much every film ever made is at the core very formulaic. A plot, some characters, some conflict, all laid out in a familiar three act structure. The visual styles are very similar two - mid-shots, wide-shots, close-ups, quickly edited to the actor's performance. Of course, there's nothing wrong with this formula - indeed, it's very successful. Most great films have been created from these fundaments. However,…