Tune for Two

            I won’t pretend to fully understand Gunnar Järvstad’s Tune for Two. I’m not sure if its intent is to make the viewer laugh or to make him question humanity and morality. What I do know, however, is that the juxtaposition of execution and childhood song was presented with flawless artistry. That makes this short one of the most emotionally effective that I’ve seen in a long time.

            The choice to use a POV shot to establish setting and open the film contributed much to how we feel about the character bound to be executed. By seeing the action from his eyes, we immediately feel like we should relate to him on a subconscious level. The edge blurring and slow opening and closing of the “eyelids” add to the disorienting realism. These touches make the POV feel as if it’s trapping the viewer rather than empowering them – as we see the grave being dug and “our” body being dragged helplessly, we feel weak and unable to move. The feeling of panic ensues, setting the stage for the strangely comic twist.

            But before we arrive at that twist, the dramatic moments are further enhanced by the impeccable acting displayed by our two (and only) leads. What impressed me about the victim’s acting was actually what was left out. In intense emotional scenes like the one that we are given here (a man knowing he is about to die), I feel that it would be easy to overact and force out sobbing and screams. However, the actor playing the victim does nothing of the sort. He looks up at the sky in pain, very slightly blinking his eyes at the stark white sunlight. He seems to choke intermittently, swaying from accepting his fate and questioning how the hell he ended up in this morbid situation. These small cues are subtle, but cause our emotional reaction to hit far deeper than a clearly fake acting session.

            Due to this intricate setup, the singing of “Mahna Mahna” is so violently unexpected that it forces uncomfortable laughter or at least a smile. Again, the acting impresses as the killer allows his icy glare to be murderous and unfeeling as well as recognizably human. He does this with, once again, almost no obvious cues. The ensuing contrast in tone turns this film into a very unusual dark comedy.

Watch here: Tune for Two