World of Glory-Härlig är jorden (1991)

Directed by: Roy Andersson | 14 minutes | short film | Actors: Klas-Gösta Olsson, Lennart Björklund, Christer Christensen, Bernard Eiger, Rolf Engström, Gun Fors, Udo Kühnapas, Hans Söderblom, Anne Tubin

Roy Andersson’s short film ‘World of Glory’ (1991) immediately starts quite confronting: A screaming, naked child is dragged into a truck. The charger is full of frightened children, who cannot help but await their fate. As soon as the last child is loaded, the doors are closed. Before the truck drives away, a trunk is connected from the exhaust to the ventilation grille: the children are gassed alive, while a large group of people stand by and watch. One of those people is the main character in ‘World of Glory’, a fourteen-minute film about what guilt can do to a person.

After the shocking first scene, in which the main character stares at us insistently at the end of the take, the screen goes black. Then we meet the man, who not only introduces himself to us, but also his wife, brother, son, sick mother and deceased father. He also takes us to work – the man is a real estate agent by trade – and shows us his boring life bit by bit. From the first scene, we know that something terrible must be gnawing at this man’s conscience, but he tries to show it as little as possible. Andersson shows us his life in fifteen short takes. The stately takes are relentlessly sober and are presented to the public in a bone-dry manner. After each take, the image goes to ominous black for a short time, to build up the tension. Because, of course, someone who has been so anxious to keep up appearances for so long will have to burst the bomb at some point. That happens, but in a way that fits with the rest of the film: bloodless and restrained.

‘World of Glory’ leaves room for various interpretations (criticism of society – see also the irony in the title), but it is clear that suppressed feelings of guilt play a central theme. Due to its cool, aloof sobriety, this short film is not immediately one to close to your heart. Most people will need some time afterwards to interpret the film. But Andersson certainly offers food for thought with this short film.