Reflecting on the absurdity of life

A scene from The Pigeon sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence, the latest movie from the Whanganui Film Society. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

The absurdity of life is explored in the latest screening from the Whanganui Film Society.

A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (En uva satt pa en gren och funderade pa tillvaron) is the most recent film from Swedish auteur Roy Andersson, whose distinctive, idiosyncratic style has been described as a cross between Monty Python and Ingmar Bergman. The BBC's Nicholas Barber's description is probably the most accurate: "Each scene is somewhere between a Far Side cartoon and a contemporary art installation."

This film is the third film in a thematic trilogy about life as a human being made over a 16-year period, beginning with Songs from the Second Floor in 2000, and You, The Living in 2007. The Whanganui Film Society will also screen You, The Living in May.

The films can be enjoyed separately, or out of sequence, as each one is made up of loosely connected vignettes.

Guardian reviewer Peter Bradshaw described Andersson as an "incredible film-maker".

"He has created an entirely unique epic movie-cycle that has to be seen to be believed." A

A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence will screen at the Davis Theatre, Watt St, on April 3. You must be a member to attend this screening. For more information, and for memberships, see www.whanganuifilmsociety.org.nz.

The NZ Film Society screenings of Roy Andersson's films are sponsored by Weta Digital.