With Don Palathara and Sherin Catherine: Roy Andersson's A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence

The Other Banana

Hello, we are back!

After a lengthy break, The Other Banana returns with a new season and with a small change in programming for this opening episode. We have two special guests - filmmaker Don Palathara who's made films such as Shavam, Vith, 1956 Central Travancore, Everything is Cinema joined us to talk about Swedish auteur Roy Andersson's A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence. Palathara's new film Family premiered at International Film Festival Rotterdam earlier this month. Aditya's writing on Palathara's cinema and review of Family are linked below in the show notes.

The second guest participating in this episode is sociologist Sherin Catherine who also dabbles in writing and acting. She's the co-writer of Everything is Cinema and Family.

Roy Andersson's films are unique in their narrative style and shot compositions. They are more anti-narrative with us just following a seemingly disconnected set of characters who are framed in painterly compositions with deep focus with most of the film in master shots. His films are existential in nature probing what it means to be human and sometimes dark and, more often than not, funny. A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (2014) is the third in his Living trilogy following Songs from the Second Floor (2000) and You, the Living (2007). It won the Golden Lion at the 71st Venice International Film Festival.

Listen on

Participants:

Aditya

Don Palathara

Sherin

Some writings on Don Palathara's cinema by Aditya:

On Palathara's cinema: https://www.cinemaexpress.com/malayalam/features/2021/aug/18/biweekly-binge-inside-don-palatharas-cinema-26130.html

Review of Family: https://www.ottplay.com/news/newsletter-the-church-faith-at-all-costs-in-don-palatharas-family/fc3e211676571