About Endlessness (2019) - full transcript
With ABOUT ENDLESSNESS, Roy Andersson adds to his cinematic oeuvre with a reflection on human life in all its beauty and cruelty, its splendour and banality.
It's already September.
I saw a man
who wanted to surprise
his wife with a nice dinner.
There's something I have to tell you.
When I came up those stairs
last Friday,
someone's was following me.
I turned around
and I saw that it was Sverker Ohlsson.
An old classmate
that I hadn't seen in years.
So I told him:
Hello, Sverker, long time no see.
How are you doing?
He didn't answer me.
He walked right past me...
without saying anything.
But then I realized why.
I hurt him once
and he hasn't forgotten it.
Hey... Hello, Sverker.
It's been a long time.
I saw a man
whose mind was elsewhere.
I saw a woman,
a personnel manager,
unable to feel shame.
I saw a man...
who didn't trust banks
and hid his savings
in his mattress.
Crucify him. Crucify him.
Get up.
Get up, you bastard.
What did I do wrong?
Get up.
Get up.
Come on.
Come on.
They drove nails into my hands.
What do you mean?
It's gone now.
They drove nails into my hands.
I saw a young man
who hadn't found love yet.
Having nightmares
isn't anything strange
We all do it sometimes.
There's no shame in that.
I've had many patients
that did
all kinds of nightmares.
But this one,
I've not encountered before.
Not the most pleasant dream,
I must say.
No...
And let me get this straight,
Is this a recurring dream?
Yes.
Obviously, something's overwhelming you.
Do you have any idea what might have happened
to trigger that dream?
Yes...
That's when I started
to lose faith.
To no longer believe in God.
Oh, dear Lord...
But you're a priest, aren't you?
Yeah, it's my livelihood.
It's my job
to preach the word of God
Without believing what you're saying.
This is not a pleasant situation,
I have to say.
No.
But, uh...
could it be...
that God doesn't actually exist?
No, that would be terrible.
What else would you believe in?
No idea.
Maybe we should already
be glad to be alive.
Here's how I see it.
We're gonna try to help you
with your problems.
But as I'm sure you know,
I don't work for nothing.
You either, I presume?
No.
I suggest we meet again
in a week's time.
Same time, here at my office.
Ingrid has all your contact information.
So, I propose
I'll see you in a week.
And we'll help you with that problem.
Thank you for coming.
Ingrid will take you home.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I saw a man
who stepped on a mine
and had lost his legs.
And it made him very sad.
Look.
Say hello to Grandma.
Say hello to Grandma.
My God. My God.
Why have you abandoned me?
Why have you abandoned me?
The body of Christ,
broken up for you.
The blood of Christ,
pour for you.
The body of Christ,
broken up for you.
The blood of Christ,
pour for you.
I saw a man
who had lost his faith.
The body of Christ,
broken up for you.
The blood of Christ,
pour for you.
The body of Christ,
broken up for you.
The blood of Christ,
I saw two parents...
who had lost their son
in the war.
Tommy, honey.
Daddy went to get some water
He'll be right back.
We're going to make your grave beautiful, Tommy.
You should know that, Tommy.
We'll always make you a beautiful grave.
So you don't have to be ashamed.
We think about you every day.
Yes, Tommy, dear.
Every day.
Yes, every day.
I saw a couple,
two people in love,
hover over a city
famous for her beauty,
but now in ruins.
Daddy.
Hi, sweetheart.
I missed you so much.
I saw a woman
who thought that no one
was waiting for her.
I saw a woman
who loved champagne.
Very much.
I'm sorry, your name wouldn't happen to be...
Lisa Larsson, by any chance?
No, sorry.
I saw a man...
who had gone astray.
No.
No.
Please...
No, no, no, no, no.
No.
No...
Please, please...
Please. No, no, no.
No. Please...
Please. No, no, no.
I saw a man...
begging to be spared.
Please. No.
I saw a woman
who had a problem with her shoe.
I saw a man...
who wanted to save
the honor of his family,
but then regretted it.
You two had a lot to talk about.
No, what do you mean?
You two had a lot to talk about.
Calm down. Calm down.
You know I love you, don't you?
Yes, dear, I know that.
You know I love you, don't you?
Yes, I know that.
The first principle of thermodynamics...
says...
that everything is energy...
and that this cannot be destroyed.
It's infinite.
She can only turn...
from one form to another.
So that means
that you're energetic...
that I'm energetic...
and that your energy...
and my energy...
can never disappear.
They can just turn
into something new.
So, in theory,
our energies can
meet again...
in millions of years.
And by then, you might be...
a potato...
or a tomato.
I'd rather be a tomato.
I saw a man
who wanted to conquer the world...
and who realized that he would fail.
I don't know what I want.
Excuse me, sir?
I don't know what I want.
I don't know what I want.
I don't know what I want.
Poor old man.
What? We no longer have the right
to be sad?
Certainly. But couldn't he
be sad at home?
Why here?
I saw a man with his daughter...
going to a birthday party.
And it rained. It rained like hell.
Good morning, sir.
What do we do?
when you've lost your faith?
I'm sorry, but we were about to close.
What do we do?
when you've lost your faith?
I need to talk to Dr. Lindh.
That's not possible. We're going to close
and Dr. Lindh is going home.
Please. Please.
Hello,
What do we do?
when you've lost your faith?
I'm sorry, but we're closing.
You have an appointment in a week's time.
I have a bus to catch.
I'm sorry,
but I have to catch my bus.
What do we do?
when you've lost your faith?
We're closing now.
We're closing the practice.
What do we do?
You'll talk about it next week.
No, no.
I must ask you to leave.
What do we do...
I have a bus to catch.
What do we do...
No...
What do we do...
What do we do?
I'd better catch the bus.
He'll probably be leaving soon.
What do we do?
when you've lost your faith?
Excuse me, please.
Torbjorn.
Hasse.
Open your mouth wide.
This is the one that hurts you.
We're going to numb you for a minute.
No. I'm afraid of needles.
Then we'll just have to do without it.
Goodbye.
My deepest apologies.
The doctor is
in a bad mood.
He's in trouble.
Really? Really?
Isn't it fantastic?
Isn't it fantastic?
What's that?
All of it.
All
Everything's great.
Yeah, well...
At least, I think so.
All right.
Well, I do, anyway.
Well, I do, anyway.
Yeah, yeah.
I saw a defeated army...
march to the prison camps
enemies,
in Siberia.
Yes, hello.
You must be tired of hearing
me talk about Sverker Ohlsson again.
The old classmate
that I passed on these stairs
a few weeks ago.
I ran into him again on Friday.
And he still hasn't said hello to me.
What's he doing today?
No idea.
But it seems
that he was promoted.
I don't know how he did it.
He wasn't bright at school.
But he's got a PhD now.
and I can't say the same.
But, honey...
you've done so many other things.
I'm not so sure.
Time flies
and I haven't accomplished anything.
You're overreacting.
We've been traveling, though...
We saw Niagara Falls.
And the Tower of Pisa.
Yeah.
Last year, you went upstairs...
on top of the Eiffel Tower,
with your bad knee.
Yes. But Sverker Ohlsson
probably did, too.
To think that a loser like Sverker Ohlsson...
has a PhD.
That's really annoying.
Why are you bothering with this?
It's annoying.
It's annoying.
Yes, yes.
I saw a man...
who had a problem with his car.
I saw a man
who wanted to surprise
his wife with a nice dinner.
There's something I have to tell you.
When I came up those stairs
last Friday,
someone's was following me.
I turned around
and I saw that it was Sverker Ohlsson.
An old classmate
that I hadn't seen in years.
So I told him:
Hello, Sverker, long time no see.
How are you doing?
He didn't answer me.
He walked right past me...
without saying anything.
But then I realized why.
I hurt him once
and he hasn't forgotten it.
Hey... Hello, Sverker.
It's been a long time.
I saw a man
whose mind was elsewhere.
I saw a woman,
a personnel manager,
unable to feel shame.
I saw a man...
who didn't trust banks
and hid his savings
in his mattress.
Crucify him. Crucify him.
Get up.
Get up, you bastard.
What did I do wrong?
Get up.
Get up.
Come on.
Come on.
They drove nails into my hands.
What do you mean?
It's gone now.
They drove nails into my hands.
I saw a young man
who hadn't found love yet.
Having nightmares
isn't anything strange
We all do it sometimes.
There's no shame in that.
I've had many patients
that did
all kinds of nightmares.
But this one,
I've not encountered before.
Not the most pleasant dream,
I must say.
No...
And let me get this straight,
Is this a recurring dream?
Yes.
Obviously, something's overwhelming you.
Do you have any idea what might have happened
to trigger that dream?
Yes...
That's when I started
to lose faith.
To no longer believe in God.
Oh, dear Lord...
But you're a priest, aren't you?
Yeah, it's my livelihood.
It's my job
to preach the word of God
Without believing what you're saying.
This is not a pleasant situation,
I have to say.
No.
But, uh...
could it be...
that God doesn't actually exist?
No, that would be terrible.
What else would you believe in?
No idea.
Maybe we should already
be glad to be alive.
Here's how I see it.
We're gonna try to help you
with your problems.
But as I'm sure you know,
I don't work for nothing.
You either, I presume?
No.
I suggest we meet again
in a week's time.
Same time, here at my office.
Ingrid has all your contact information.
So, I propose
I'll see you in a week.
And we'll help you with that problem.
Thank you for coming.
Ingrid will take you home.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I saw a man
who stepped on a mine
and had lost his legs.
And it made him very sad.
Look.
Say hello to Grandma.
Say hello to Grandma.
My God. My God.
Why have you abandoned me?
Why have you abandoned me?
The body of Christ,
broken up for you.
The blood of Christ,
pour for you.
The body of Christ,
broken up for you.
The blood of Christ,
pour for you.
I saw a man
who had lost his faith.
The body of Christ,
broken up for you.
The blood of Christ,
pour for you.
The body of Christ,
broken up for you.
The blood of Christ,
I saw two parents...
who had lost their son
in the war.
Tommy, honey.
Daddy went to get some water
He'll be right back.
We're going to make your grave beautiful, Tommy.
You should know that, Tommy.
We'll always make you a beautiful grave.
So you don't have to be ashamed.
We think about you every day.
Yes, Tommy, dear.
Every day.
Yes, every day.
I saw a couple,
two people in love,
hover over a city
famous for her beauty,
but now in ruins.
Daddy.
Hi, sweetheart.
I missed you so much.
I saw a woman
who thought that no one
was waiting for her.
I saw a woman
who loved champagne.
Very much.
I'm sorry, your name wouldn't happen to be...
Lisa Larsson, by any chance?
No, sorry.
I saw a man...
who had gone astray.
No.
No.
Please...
No, no, no, no, no.
No.
No...
Please, please...
Please. No, no, no.
No. Please...
Please. No, no, no.
I saw a man...
begging to be spared.
Please. No.
I saw a woman
who had a problem with her shoe.
I saw a man...
who wanted to save
the honor of his family,
but then regretted it.
You two had a lot to talk about.
No, what do you mean?
You two had a lot to talk about.
Calm down. Calm down.
You know I love you, don't you?
Yes, dear, I know that.
You know I love you, don't you?
Yes, I know that.
The first principle of thermodynamics...
says...
that everything is energy...
and that this cannot be destroyed.
It's infinite.
She can only turn...
from one form to another.
So that means
that you're energetic...
that I'm energetic...
and that your energy...
and my energy...
can never disappear.
They can just turn
into something new.
So, in theory,
our energies can
meet again...
in millions of years.
And by then, you might be...
a potato...
or a tomato.
I'd rather be a tomato.
I saw a man
who wanted to conquer the world...
and who realized that he would fail.
I don't know what I want.
Excuse me, sir?
I don't know what I want.
I don't know what I want.
I don't know what I want.
Poor old man.
What? We no longer have the right
to be sad?
Certainly. But couldn't he
be sad at home?
Why here?
I saw a man with his daughter...
going to a birthday party.
And it rained. It rained like hell.
Good morning, sir.
What do we do?
when you've lost your faith?
I'm sorry, but we were about to close.
What do we do?
when you've lost your faith?
I need to talk to Dr. Lindh.
That's not possible. We're going to close
and Dr. Lindh is going home.
Please. Please.
Hello,
What do we do?
when you've lost your faith?
I'm sorry, but we're closing.
You have an appointment in a week's time.
I have a bus to catch.
I'm sorry,
but I have to catch my bus.
What do we do?
when you've lost your faith?
We're closing now.
We're closing the practice.
What do we do?
You'll talk about it next week.
No, no.
I must ask you to leave.
What do we do...
I have a bus to catch.
What do we do...
No...
What do we do...
What do we do?
I'd better catch the bus.
He'll probably be leaving soon.
What do we do?
when you've lost your faith?
Excuse me, please.
Torbjorn.
Hasse.
Open your mouth wide.
This is the one that hurts you.
We're going to numb you for a minute.
No. I'm afraid of needles.
Then we'll just have to do without it.
Goodbye.
My deepest apologies.
The doctor is
in a bad mood.
He's in trouble.
Really? Really?
Isn't it fantastic?
Isn't it fantastic?
What's that?
All of it.
All
Everything's great.
Yeah, well...
At least, I think so.
All right.
Well, I do, anyway.
Well, I do, anyway.
Yeah, yeah.
I saw a defeated army...
march to the prison camps
enemies,
in Siberia.
Yes, hello.
You must be tired of hearing
me talk about Sverker Ohlsson again.
The old classmate
that I passed on these stairs
a few weeks ago.
I ran into him again on Friday.
And he still hasn't said hello to me.
What's he doing today?
No idea.
But it seems
that he was promoted.
I don't know how he did it.
He wasn't bright at school.
But he's got a PhD now.
and I can't say the same.
But, honey...
you've done so many other things.
I'm not so sure.
Time flies
and I haven't accomplished anything.
You're overreacting.
We've been traveling, though...
We saw Niagara Falls.
And the Tower of Pisa.
Yeah.
Last year, you went upstairs...
on top of the Eiffel Tower,
with your bad knee.
Yes. But Sverker Ohlsson
probably did, too.
To think that a loser like Sverker Ohlsson...
has a PhD.
That's really annoying.
Why are you bothering with this?
It's annoying.
It's annoying.
Yes, yes.
I saw a man...
who had a problem with his car.