Roy Anderson's conclusive piece of his trilogy shows abysses of human existence and the pointlessness of some human lives, so don't expect to be entertained in any way when you go to watch this film. A knowledge of Kafka's works, the Absurd theater and Bergman's films may however help you to give a more objective reception to the film. Some of the scenes show intense directing skills and seem like painted still lifes from the last century. Also Waiting for Godot comes to mind, when one looks at the two old men trying to sell their pathetic "fun" articles and failing invariably. There is intense beauty in the take in the old men's home when Jonathan and Sam argue and Sam is listening to the same melancholic song over and over again. Or a scene in a tavern, where half the clients can't afford a drink and then are offered one if they kiss the ugly landlady for which they stand in line and actually do so. Two very brutal nightmare scenes are not designed for the shy, timid or unexperienced film friend. A whiff from the past is experienced when the Swedish king makes his appearance(s) in the tavern, a dreamer sovereign who loses his war "because he did not have enough horses for his campaign." The title perhaps suggests that even a bird may think more about existence than some people do. It may also convey the reason why some of the movie is filmed from a bird's eye view.
