Sånger från andra våningen (2000)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Roy Andersson

Writer:

Roy Andersson (writer)

Release Date:

6 October 2000 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A film poem inspired by the Peruvian poet César Vallejo. A story about our need for love, our confusion...

Plot Keywords:

Zombie | Whipping | Absurdism | Mugging | Businessman

Awards:

9 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Lars Nordh	...	Kalle
Stefan Larsson	...	Stefan
Bengt C.W. Carlsson	...	Lennart
Torbjörn Fahlström	...	Pelle Wigert
Sten Andersson	...	Lasse
Rolando Núñez	...	The foreigner
Lucio Vucina	...	The magician
Per Jörnelius	...	The sawed man
Peter Roth	...	Tomas
Klas-Gösta Olsson	...	The speechwriter
Nils-Åke Eriksson	...	Patient
Hanna Eriksson	...	Mia
Tommy Johansson	...	Uffe
Sture Olsson	...	Sven
Fredrik Sjögren	...	The Russian boy

Also Known As:

Sange fra anden sal (Denmark)
Sanger fra andre etasje (Norway)
Songs from the Second Floor (International: English title)

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

Sweden | Norway | Denmark

Language:

Swedish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Sweden:7 | Iceland:L | Iceland:LH (video rating) | Argentina:13 | Denmark:11 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:AL | Norway:15 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Mysinge, Kalmar län, Sweden

Company:

Danmarks Radio (DR)

Trivia:

Each scene is shot with one take where the camera stands still as the actors embrace the frame (the camera moves once in the entire film, in the railway station scene).

Quotes:

[throwing away Christ crucifixes he couldn't sell]
Business Man: I am so embarrassed, my face is red. I staked everything on a loser.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Blodigt jävla helvete (2008)

Bizarre and brilliant

SONGS FROM THE SECOND FLOOR is honestly one of the best films I have seen so far in my years of cinematic appreciation. Alice, below, nailed it in her analysis, and there's little I can add that would be useful. I also agree with the critics who compared it to what would happen if Monty Python set their sights on Bergman. The film is both a character study and a meditation on humanity, filled with transcendent moments of beauty that left me completely stunned. It is also a biting satire of corporate greed and its effects on society, and the search for hope in a dying, empty world filled with people who've basically given up. SONGS is a great film that everybody should see.