The cinematic road less traveled at HFA

Sometimes we forget that going to the movies doesn't have to mean traveling to Loews to catch the latest Hollywood blockbuster. The Harvard Film Archive, conveniently located east of the Harvard T stop on Quincy St., is one of the area's prominent venues for independent and foreign films.

From little-known productions to internationally-recognized endeavors, the brand of cinema offered at the HFA is a cut above what tends to dominate the movie scene. This weekend's screenings of Songs from the Second Floor and Ten are an example of just that.

Directed by Swedish director Roy Andersson, Songs from the Second Floor was awarded the Special Jury prize at Cannes in 2000. The 98-minute piece is comprised of 45 vignettes depicting the barren and unsatisfying conditions of post-industrialized Europe.

A commentary on the absurdity of the changes wrought by modern society, Andersson uses various mis-en-scene and surrealist techniques to capture the series of unusual events that paralyze an ordinary Northern European town and bring the film's protagonist (Karl, played by Lar Nordh) to a heightened social awareness.

As Karl burns his furniture store in order to collect the insurance money, a variety of peculiar events take place around him: an immigrant is brutally assaulted in the streets, a magician's performance turns fatal, and the city is frozen by an atrocious traffic jam.

The city is subsequently consumed by the ensuing chaos. In witnessing the events around him, Karl grows increasingly aware of the havoc of modernity and realizes the difficulty in simply existing.

Andersson has been called "the unknown genius of contemporary film." He brings his unique perspective and sharp eye to Songs from the Second Floor, creating an element of dark comedy within the confines of a film that tackles a multitude of pressing social issues.

Andersson pursued his cinematic studies at Swedish Film Institute, where he received his degree in 1969. He has directed four other films, one of which (Giliap) was screened at the Cannes Festival in 1976. Songs from the Second Floor is the first film for which Andersson has received extensive recognition from the international film community.

The HFA will also be screening Ten, an Iranian film written and directed by Abbas Kiarostami. A simple film shot solely from two different camera angles, the production examines the lives of a divorced mother the emotional turmoil she experiences at various significant junctures in her life.

The plot is laid out over the course of ten individual sequences that take place behind the closed doors of the characters' car as she chauffeurs her son, her sister, an elderly woman, a streetwalker and other individuals around town.

Iranian traditions and customs feature prominently in the film, creating an excellent window to the subtle inner workings of this foreign culture and the way it impacts present-day Iranian women. It is a careful examination of the social conditions of contemporary Tehran, much like Kiarostami's previous film, Taste of Cherry.

In addition to individual screenings, the HFA also features various special film events. Documenta11: An Accented Cinema, which runs through Oct. 30, is a screening featuring various film and video works that were previously presented at the Documenta11 exhibition this past summer.

Held every five years in Kassel, Germany, the production is an influential arts exhibition that focuses on experiences of exile and diaspora. Also running through the end of the month is Close Encounters: Murder at Harvard. Directed by Eric Stange and based on a book by celebrated historian Simon Schama, the film documents the murder, police inquiry and trial surrounding the murder of wealthy Bostonian Dr. George Parkman.

The HFA calendar is constantly changing, offering a new array of unique films each week. Ticket prices range from $7 for regular screenings to $10 for special screenings, making an outing to this eclectic film venue not only engaging but affordable as well. For additional information, call (617) 495-4700 or visit the HFA website at http://harvardfilmarchive.org