Reykjavík Grapevine - jun 2020, Qupperneq 28

Nothin" So
Serious
Si!ur#ur Anton Fri#*jófsson is here with ‘Mentor’
Words: Sam O'Donnell Photo: Art Bicnick
D i r e c t o r S i g u r!u r A n t o n
Fri!"jófsson, who goes by Toni—
a play on his middle name—is
known for his comedic works that
play with heavy subject matter. His
debut movie, ‘Webcam,’ was about
a young lady entering the world of
online stripping. His second, ‘Sn-
jór og Salome,’ told the story of a
woman dealing with her cheating
boyfriend. But his newest offer-
ing, ‘Mentor,’ he says is a lot more
fun. “This doesn’t really get that
heavy,” he says. “It’s just kinda 90
minutes of fun.”
Act 1. Synopsis
In ‘Mentor,’ a 17-year-old girl
named Beta wants to enter a
stand-up comedy competition,
despite having never set foot on
stage. In search of feedback on her
set, she contacts Hugo, a comedi-
an who won the competition ten
years earlier, sending him down
memory lane in the process. “He
takes it really seriously and starts
getting nostalgic, reevaluating
where he is in his life, and if he’s
where he wants to be,” Toni says.
Meanwhile, Beta is simply trying
to overcome her insecurities in her
own act.
The film was inspired by char-
acters from Toni’s own life, partic-
ularly #órhallur #órhallsson, who
won the award for funniest man
in Iceland back in 2007. He doesn’t
live in the past like Hugo does, but
Toni says that it’s a running inside
joke that he does. Other moments
were directly lifted from his own
experiences as a standup come-
dian. “I know the community and
all the people,” he says, adding that
he still goes to see shows whenever
possible.
Act 2. Exposition
Joe Swanberg, Kevin Smith, and
(in a perhaps surprising depar-
ture) Nicolas Winding Refn were
particularly influential for the di-
rector. But would Toni ever enter
the dark world of Refn? “Yeah,” he
says. “[But] my personal opinion is
that every film should have at least
some jokes. Otherwise it’s not re-
ally realistic. It’s 90 minutes and
no one cracks a joke? That doesn’t
feel real.”
Act 3. Production
The film was in production for
just over a year. Parts of the movie
were shot in major locations in the
Reykjavík comedy scene. “We shot
two days in the Secret Cellar and
one day in Gaukurinn,” he says. “It
was like I was shooting a part of
my life.” A number of local stand-
up comedians make appearances
in the movie, as well.
In the future, he plans to make
more movies, focusing on natu-
ralistic acting, improvisation, and
sticking to a low budget. “I really
like indie movies,” he says.
‘Mentor’ will show in Smárabíó
and Háskólabíó, as well as theatres
across the country starting June
24th.
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