Iceland review - 2013, Page 16

14 ICELAND REVIEW
RIDING THE WAvE
Ólafur Darri Ólafsson’s roles range from macho marine engineers, to mentally-disabled
gentle giants, to party-loving playboys. Through the lead in Baltasar Kormákur’s criti-
cally-acclaimed docudrama The Deep (Djúpið), which premiered at the 2012 Toronto
International Film Festival, he proved that he is among Iceland’s top artists. The film
was selected as the country’s contribution for the 2013 Oscar race.
With a genuine smile through his rough beard, Ólafur
Darri Ólafsson welcomes me to the corner table
where he is seated at the hip new eatery Bergsson
mathús by the Reykjavík pond as I hurry inside from the pour-
ing rain one gloomy autumn day. But before I get a chance to ask
Darri, as he is called, about his latest film, a middle-aged woman
hesitantly moves towards our table. “May I just say ‘thank you’?” she
asks, explaining how deeply touched she was by his performance
in The Deep, adding that she comes from the Westman Islands
(vestmannaeyjar) where it is set. Darri humbly accepts her praise.
HigHS anD LowS
The film is based on the incredible feat of Guðlaugur Friðþórsson,
a fisherman in the Westman Islands, who swam three nautical miles
for five hours in ice cold waters and then walked barefoot across
a rugged lava field for three hours to safety, after his ship, Hellisey
VE 503, sank one harsh winter’s day in 1984. The four other crew
members perished.
“It was no easy task but a rewarding experience. All ocean
scenes, apart from a few underwater shots that were taken in a
swimming pool, were actually filmed in the ocean, under authentic
circumstances. Special effects weren’t used to any extent. It was
important to make the film as authentic as possible, not to give
a fake picture of what it was like being a fisherman at the time. I
was often at a loss and sometimes came close to giving up. I wasn’t
really going to give up but it just seemed so impossible at times.
Once when I hit a low, Baltasar [Kormákur, the director] told me
to imagine how great it would be at the premiere to be able to say
that we did it all for real—and he was right; we certainly enjoyed
the fruits of our labor.”
Braving THe CoLD
While in real life Guðlaugur swam to shore in 5°C (41°F) cold
water in the dead of winter, most of the ocean shots for The Deep
were taken in early autumn 2010 when the ocean was about five
degrees warmer.
“The sea was cold but I wore a wetsuit. Cold comes and goes
and a cup of hot chocolate was waiting for me and it was great to
relax in the hot tub at the swimming pool in Garður afterwards.
Just wonderful. I always felt safe in the ocean, there were people
looking out for me. And to be honest, it was cozy at times, plainly
meditative to be carried with the waves. The hardest part was the
landing scene.” Darri refers to the scene where his character finally
reaches land and the wild surf knocks him against rocks on the
hostile beach. “We had to do it three times over three days. When
we made the shot that ended up being used in the scene it was very
windy and not without risk. But I was surrounded by good people
who were prepared to walk through fire for me.”
The crew usually followed the swimming Darri on a boat and
during the shots in the harbor in Garður—almost half of the ocean
shots—they stood on the pier. “It must have been enjoyable for
By Eygló Svala arnarSdóttir
PoRTRAIT By Páll StEfánSSon
“on location darri is the gripper or lighting technician type. he
often sits with them, chatting and smoking. it isn’t until you see
the results on screen that you fathom his talent and presence.
he has the power, precision, nuance and understanding to make
any character come to life.” – Director/writer Óskar Jónasson