Reykjavík Grapevine - 09.03.2012, Page 22

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The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 3 — 2012
Film | Shorts
Icelandic Shorts: A very Short Introduction
The big winner at this year's Edda
Awards (the Icelandic equivalent to
the Oscars) was Rúnar Rúnarsson's
film, ‘volcano.’ But the big story
was perhaps the respect short films
are now getting. The short film cat-
egory included four pictures, all of
which also got nominations in other
categories. And it wasn’t a weak
year for Icelandic movies; with
some nine feature films involved
there was, for once, real competi-
tion. And while the night belonged
to ‘volcano,’ its director earned his
fame in shorts and they were the
reason it was one of the year’s most
anticipated films.
This is hardly a coincidence. A decade
ago or so there was an awakening in
the Icelandic film industry; people fi-
nally agreed that we wouldn't get very
many good directors by throwing them
in at the deep end. So both the Icelan-
dic film fund and the production com-
panies put more money into developing
scripts and short films, whereas pre-
viously more effort had been put into
developing features that often didn´t
receive any funding until everything
was already in place (screenplay, actors
etc.). Those developing funds are only a
fraction of the money that big features
cost, but they have certainly helped the
very young Icelandic film industry grow
up. And while the recession has made
its mark (it will really hit home this year,
many of last year's films were financed
during the boom years and there are
very few films on the horizon for this
year), filmmakers still have the equip-
ment bought during the boom years
and the experience gained—the films
look anything but low budget.
THE NOMINEES
Börkur Sigþórsson's ‘Come to Harm’
was a worthy winner as best short film.
It's a cold film, showing a world full of
steely colours with hardly an earth tone
to be found. Björn Thors is convincing
as a man descending into madness
while his very own, cold, impersonal
nightmare unfolds amid steel, concrete
and electronic machines. There is a
very human pain behind it all, which I
will not reveal, but you still somehow
feel it's just as much about the aesthet-
ics he's trapped in, the aesthetics of
the boom years that you can see slowly
crumbling. And it's telling that when he
finally uses the rifle he's armed himself
with, it's not to shoot other humans, but
to terminate his microwave oven. It all
feels a bit like Icelandic Psycho, even if
the lead character ultimately turns out
to be a lot more human.
‘Revolution Reykjavík’ deals with
the crash even more head-on. It´s about
a woman fired from a bank during the
first days of the crash—but she’s too
proud to tell her daughter or collect
something as degrading as unemploy-
ment benefits. It makes good use of
mundane things, finding meaning in a
cupboard full of unread letters of evic-
tion notices and other bad financial
news. The acting is very solid, but the
story itself feels a bit too familiar, a bit
too predictable. It's a common theme in
director Ísold Uggadóttir's films. She's a
talented veteran of the short film scene
here, but I often feel there's a problem
in marrying mood and plot. This one is
definitely worth a look, but you should
prioritize seeing her debut lesbian
comedy, ‘Family Reunion,’ and ‘Clean,’
which is probably her strongest film to
date.
The third film comes from famed
theatre company Vesturport. It's called
‘Korríró,’ which is untranslatable, given
that it's a nonsense word used in nurs-
ery rhymes. This is a modern version of
Goldilocks and stars Nína Dögg Filip-
pusdóttir as a drunk with Parkinson’s
disease. The performance could have
used a bit more restraint in the begin-
ning, although it's hard to say for sure,
given that drunks with Parkinson’s
might not be the most restrained peo-
ple in the world. But when she, sort of
accidentally, finds herself in a wealthy
family's home, she walks into another
life and it's done in a slow, organic
fashion that almost feels like the home-
less fantasy—this one night of living
like a queen. It's another good film, but
as with ‘Revolution Reykjavík,’ it's still
missing that extra something.
The fourth and final nominee baffles
me however. Ari Alexander's ‘Little
Cosmonaut’ begins promisingly enough
and features some nice visuals, but
then turns unbearably sentimental and
pretentious. It’s a shame given Guðrún
Ásmundsdóttir’s fine performance as
the cosmonaut's grandmother.
THE CONTENDERS
While this award show celebrated an
unusually fruitful year for Icelandic
films, the organization is not always the
most professional, as demonstrated by
the inexplicable decision of also nomi-
nating Benedikt Erlingsson's ‘The Nail’
as best short film. It's certainly a fine
film and deserved to be nominated—in
2008. This odd mix-up was corrected,
but left the fifth slot empty, which is a
shame since there are worthy films that
could have filled that slot (not to men-
tion the slot occupied by ‘Little Cosmo-
naut’). Director Haukur M. is making
interesting short films in Poland, two of
which were shown at last year’s RIFF:
‘Invisible Border’ and ‘Mission to Mars.’
Also flying under the radar is Haraldur
Sigurjónsson, who has directed four
fine short films in the last three years.
His latest, ‘Angel,’ went strangely unno-
ticed despite being his most ambitious
to date.
THE CLASSICS AND WHERE TO GET
THEM
Most current Icelandic feature direc-
tors have some roots in short films.
Grímur Hákonarson made his name
with films such as ‘Slavek the Shit’ and
‘Wrestling,’ while ‘The Caramel Movie’
was Gunnar B. Guðmundsson’s big
ticket, but he has since directed ‘Dorks
& Damsels’ (Astrópía)’ and ‘Hullaballoo’
(Gauragangur). And Dagur Kári's short
films, ‘Old Spice’ and ‘Lost Weekend,’
are fondly remembered if almost im-
possible to find, which is the case for
most short films made prior to the last
five years or so.
Still, two short films that stand head
and shoulders above the rest are ‘Rare
Birds’ and ‘The Gentlemen.’ The former
handles teenage angst with a rare hu-
manity and warmth and still remains
Rúnar Rúnarsson's masterpiece. The
latter, however, brings with it a lot less
fame, but is simply a riot, even if the
premise is very simple: three friends
talk, drink beer, play music and debate
the meaning of Guns N' Roses’ newest
album. But the magic is this: it hardly
feels like a film; it’s more like you’re
witnessing, first-hand, three lifelong
friends shooting the breeze.
But readers should keep in mind
that this article omits all the great short
films I haven't seen. Icelandic short
films are starting to get the prestige
and the coverage they deserve, but
they have yet to find their audience—
and those of us who do seek them out
have few places to look.
Words
Ásgeir H. Ingólfsson
photo
Stills from Revolution Reykjavík
A decade ago or
so there was an
awakening in the
Icelandic film
industry
If you'd like to watch a bunch of Icelandic shorts,
you should log on to www.icelandiccinema.com.
They have a great selection!
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