384. Being A Human Person; movie review

 

 

BEING A HUMAN PERSON

Cert 15

90 mins

BBFC advice: TBA

At last - a biopic which isn't simply a tribute to its subject.

Roy Andersson is considered one of the greatest living directors in Europe but, as his team points out, working with him isn't all honey and roses.

Fred Scott's documentary was made during the filming of About Endlessness which Andersson had claimed would be his last movie.

It alighted upon his creativity, his singlemindedness, his deep issues with alcohol and his unique and challenging way of working.

Indeed, Being A Human Person highlights his flaws as well as his genius.

And, clearly, Andersson contributed so would have been aware that those around him were criticising his laboured working methods, lack of appreciation of money and heavy drinking.

Of course, they all love him too and are dedicated members of his team. Meanwhile, outsiders idolise him - he is seen to be almost embarrassed by fans' gushing reaction towards him.

Andersson is remarkable because his film sets are made one at a time in his own premises behind a shop front.

They take a couple of months to build, the scene is made and then they are dismantled.

Sometimes they are particularly elaborate and represent something like a railway carriage, while on other occasions they may be an outside scene for which the audience's eye is fooled by perspectives.

I found this particularly surprising and revealing.

Being A Human Person is an emotional movie because Andersson is struggling to confront the inevitable end of his career at the age of 77.

It prompts the audience to wonder what he will do now and to marvel at what he has contributed so far.

Reasons to watch: Gets under the skin of the director

Reasons to avoid: Flits around too much

Laughs: One

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: Yes

Overall rating: 7.5/10

Did you know? Roy Andersson is considered one of the most important living European film directors, having four films officially submitted for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film as Swedish entries.

The final word.  Fred Scott: "Roy found it very hard to watch but, incredibly, didn't request anything to be changed in the film, which was amazing. We've made it a challenging film, but not to the point of him being horrified by what he was seeing." Eye For Film

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