Review of A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (2014) by Luca D — 02 Apr 2016

A Pigeon Sat on a Branch is a hilarious Swedish dark comedy about two salesmen named Sam and Jonathan trying to sell happiness in a world that seems to be devoid of such a concept. The entire film is structured around episodic adventures that are all one-shot, cynical, weird, and downright hilarious depictions of the modern human condition. Everything from the classical music, to the bizarre interior sets, to the pasty make up of seemingly every single actor on screen go a long way towards making this story a hysterical mockery of human misery. The slow pacing of scenes means that there is never a moment for the film to try and change your mood or perspective of a given scenario, as every scene is practically begging you to find one character whose life doesn't appear to be miserable.

The audience that I saw this with laughed at nearly every single scene, and it's all thanks to director Roy Andersson's decision to show us this story from the perspective of two characters who are trying their absolute best to sell joy to people, yet are constantly failing. They aren't out to save anyone, they are trying to scrape by with what little supplies they have as salesmen to make somebody enjoy life, and they eventually go unemployed trying to do it. The little touches here and there are also interesting, such as a reoccurring sequence when someone is on the phone in a given scene constantly reminding some anonymous individual that they are "happy to hear you're doing fine!" as if that is such a miracle in this universe.

However, the film is definitely not played for all laughs. There is a strange yet tragic scene involving a draft for a war with the Swedish and the Russians that is stuck in the days of medieval warfare, and there is a drawn out and truly heart wrenching nightmare sequence towards the very end of the film. But all these did for me was remind me that no matter how bitter and depressing an everyday routine can be, we are still alive and can still find joy in the simplest of things. This is one of the most original comedies I have seen all year.