D\_/ |_EV /-\ NDE 5

"No one understands me!" wails a sozzled crone at her ineffectual husband, a refrain that echoes through Andersson's movie like a suicidal mantra. Her gloom, however, does not stop her bursting into song - one of many absurdist flourishes that suggest the director's world view isn't quite as gloomy as it first appears. An irate neighbour destroys his ceiling protesting at the tuba player upstairs; a barber takes hair-raising revenge against a racist client; and an overweight woman makes love while wearing an antique soldier's helmet. Bizarre fantasy sequences, meanwhile, show a man face execution for a magic trick gone wrong and a young innocent imagine wedded bliss with a punk guitarist who barely acknowledges her existence.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• FILM