You, The Living

Why do humans stare so tenaciously at other people's misfortunes? Why do we live off our fantasies so sternly? How unfortunate can we call a bad hair cut when a man suddenly dies of a stroke in front of you after whelping over said hair cut? You, The Living, one of the best movie I've seen this decade, critiques modern day human's trivial obsessions, and explores these human conditions existentially. Here at the small campus I attend, I have a close relationship with many different people. I can relate to it, laughing at the characters peculiarities because it's what I see every day, as well as do myself.

The film itself is 50 vignettes of interconnected lives. Watching the first 10 minutes of the movie, it's hard not to get sucked in. The second scene is especially worth mentioning. It starts out sad, with a woman crying over the breakup of her boyfriend with her boyfriend. Then she starts talking about the sadness of their dog and how he is affected by the breakup. Finally, they end the conversation with what's cooking for supper. At the end a brass band starts playing across the street with people in a building behind the band staring at the scene of the break up.

The film is full of symbolism and is deep beneath its simple exterior. I can't recommend it enough. Anybody reading this should go out and watch it ASAP.