10 Essential 2015 Movies You Might've Missed (So Far)

7. A Pigeon Sat On A Branch Reflecting On Existence

There's a scene early on in A Pigeon Sat On A Branch Reflecting On Existence in which an elderly woman lies in a hospital bed, desperately clinging on to her bag of jewelry as a relative tries to prise it from her grip. As the bed slides across the room and the woman moans, her relative tells her "you can't take it with you!" This scene sums up the pathos which runs through A Pigeon Sat On A Branch Reflecting On Existence - each tableau is established in a single static shot, within which meticulously staged action (or often inaction) reveals something new about humanity and all its foibles. Roy Andersson's direction is superb, and the film frequently flirts with surrealism, while the bleak and desaturated cinematography serves to amplify the deapan humour and melancholic undercurrent.