Atlantica - 01.06.2002, Page 90

Edward Weinman:: What should
audiences expect from your
new film, Hafid (The Sea)?
Baltasar Kormákur: It’s about a
family living on the east coast
of Iceland, at the edge of the
inhabitable world – a family
drama with comical situations.
It’s also about being from a
small society – little villages (a
way of life) that are quickly dis-
appearing.
EW: What attracted you to the
story?
BK: The connections among the
family members in the film
reflect on my own – my life is
mirrored in this film. Your art is
always a reflection of your own
experiences, even though it’s
not biographical.
EW: After all the critical success
of 101 Reykjavík, what expecta-
tions do you have for The Sea?
BK: Nothing less. [Laughs.] It’s a
very different movie. It should
have a broader audience than
101 Reykjavík, especially in
Iceland. It’s hard to tell what
makes one film work and
another one not work. But I
don’t think too much about
what the critics say. It doesn’t
affect my work, but, of course,
it’s very nice when they like
what you do.
EW: Iceland is perceived as an
ideal society. Your films reveal
a dark side to this society, but
are still uplifting. Please
explain.
BK: I’m not trying to build a neg-
ative picture of Iceland. I’m
looking at it as I see it and try-
ing to be honest. As for the sec-
ond, if you treat your characters
with humanity and you care for
them, then you can put them
through hell and they will come
out standing. That is uplifting.
EW: What type of films are you
attracted to?
BK: I like all types of films
except the big action films
where it’s one man against the
rest of the world. I avoid these
films. But at the same time, I
also avoid the dull, artistic films
that are self-indulgent. I’m
attracted to character-driven
films.
EW: What do you enjoy about
the craft of film-making?
BK: It’s a good way to make
money. [Laughs.] No, I enjoy
researching relationships and
human behaviour using this
medium – this huge format – to
do it. It’s great to work with the
actors and crew. They’re like
gypsies. They travel in cara-
vans from place to place steal-
ing a piece of this town or this
place. I enjoy telling interesting
stories, which is basically what
it’s all about. When you lose the
story, film-making becomes
self-indulgent.
EW: Why do you feel the need
to tell stories?
BK: A general laziness for doing
anything else.
EW: Your new project is called A
Little Trip to Heaven. What is it
about?
BK: It’s about a third-generation
Icelandic couple living a crimi-
nal life in North America. The
girl decides to escape to Iceland
to get a new life and the man
follows. It’s a bit of a road
movie. They travel to Iceland,
and around the country, and
then back to North America. It’s
a psychothriller. It has sexual
madness.
EW: This will be your first
English-language film, and it’s
being produced in Hollywood,
albeit by an independent pro-
ducer. Are you interested in one
day working under the
Hollywood studio system?
BK: I’m not ready to jump into
the studio system and make a
big-budget film right now. I will
progress towards that very
slowly so I can retain artistic
power. I know it’s possible, but
you have to first gain success
and respect outside the system.
EW: What are the advantages to
working outside the studio sys-
tem?
BK: I don’t live in LA. [Laughs.]
There are advantages and dis-
advantages. If you’re going to
use the power of money, then
you have to be in LA, but I know
a lot of directors who are there
building their careers on other
people’s decisions. I don’t need
that. I have resources in Europe
and I have contacts in the
States. In the end, I will work
for the ones that give me the
opportunity to make films the
way I would like to make them.
Then again, if it all breaks
down, I can always go back to
taming horses.
EW: It’s a Saturday night in
Reykjavik. How will you spend
it?
BK: Guess man... Well, if it
would ever occur to me to do
something aside from staying
at home [laughs sarcastically],
I’d go to Kaffibarinn and have
one drink.
Edward Weinman is a staff writer.
THE SEA IS SCHEDULED
FOR GENERAL RELEASE
ON 23 AUGUST.
i-site
88 A T L A N T I C A
The Atlantica
INQUISITION
PHOTO PÁLL STEFÁNSSON
After 101 Reykjavík was embraced by the critics,
Baltasar Kormákur’s follow-up picture, Hafid
(The Sea), is awaiting a much-anticipated August
release. With his first English-language film current-
ly in the works, Edward Weinman asks if the contro-
versial Icelandic director is about to go Hollywood?
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