You, the Living (2007)

You, the Living is a film about humankind, its greatness and its baseness, joy and sorrow, its self-confidence and anxiety, its desire to love and be loved.

Director:

Roy Andersson

Writer:

Roy Andersson

Stars:

Elisabeth Helander, Jörgen Nohall, Jan Wikbladh

10 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elisabeth Helander	...	Mia (as Elisabet Helander)
Jörgen Nohall	...	Uffe (as Jugge Nohall)
Jan Wikbladh	...	The fan (as Jan Wikblad)
Björn Englund	...	Tubaplayer
Birgitta Persson	...	Tubaspelarens fru
Lennart Eriksson	...	Man on the balcony
Jessika Lundberg	...	Anna
Eric Bäckman	...	Micke Larsson
Rolf Engström	...	Trumslagaren
Jessica Nilsson	...	The teacher
Pär Fredriksson	...	The carpet dealer
Leif Larsson	...	Carpenter
Patrik Anders Edgren	...	Professor (as Patrik Edgren)
Gunnar Ivarsson	...	The businessman
Waldemar Nowak	...	The pick-pocket

Storyline

A series of scenes that focus specially on a single idea, emotion or act us. In the absence of interfering qualities this film is able to take one factoring influence and amplify it to absurd and hilarious proportions. Each scene gives us an uninterrupted view at some of the more unglamorous characteristics that in the end determine who we are, both as individuals and as a thread in the patchwork of the collective human unconscious.

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Plot Keywords:

pickpocket | torrential rain | heart attack | alienation | life | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Music

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

18 different organizations were involved in the financing of the film.

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Quotes

Mia: I'm a miserable wench, on an ugly bench!

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Connections

Followed by A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (2014)

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Soundtracks

She's no trouble
Traditional
Performed by Papa Bue's Viking Jazz Band

User Reviews

A slice of life unlike any other

You can't really call Roy Andersson prolific, (6 films in 37 years). Nor can you accuse him of being conventional; he doesn't do 'straight-forward', at least when it comes to narrative. "You, the Living", his first film in seven years, is like a surreal documentary in which a large number of characters are observed doing nothing very much and if that sounds off-putting, let me assure you it isn't. This is a funny, accessible and surprisingly warm-hearted movie, a slice-of-life far removed from that which we normally see on the screen.

Of course, 'slice-of-life' is hardly the proper moniker to apply to this movie since most people's lives are unlikely to be anything like this. The incidents on the screen run the gamut from the almost terrifyingly ordinary to the downright wacky and while characters may flit by, sometimes never to be seen again, others to reappear as if anxious for approval, Andersson bestows on them all a kind of benign affection. That, and some rollicking music, ensure the time we spend with them is time well-spent.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Sweden Germany France Denmark Norway Japan

Language:

Swedish

Release Date:

21 September 2007 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

You, the Living

Filming Locations:

Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,924, 2 August 2009

Gross USA:

$21,438

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,843,810

Company Credits

Production Co:

4 1/2 Film, Arte France Cinéma, Canal+

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1