Iceland review - 2013, Page 10

8 ICELAND REVIEW
XQ
1: Of Horses and Men is a country
romance, interweaving dramatic
vignettes, all featuring man and
horse. What was the idea behind this
film, which you wrote and directed?
I wanted to create a context; a multi-
layered film. A portrait of the human
being and the animal—and of the two
together as a part of nature. A good
story is entertaining, but also lingers
within you, touching on your values and
earning a place in your heart. Actually,
the film must speak for itself. All I can
say is that I hope that people enjoy it.
2: Icelanders have always had a
strong relationship with horses,
haven’t they?
yes, everything has changed since the
first Viking settlement, except for the
way we interact with our horses. In
Icelandic we don’t say that we break
a horse. We train a horse. We’re
companions, equals.
3: You’re an equestrian yourself,
aren’t you?
I’d rather call myself an aficionado. I
own a few horses and enjoy spending
time with them and taking good care
of them. this was a project close to
my heart.
4: Despite its multi-national set of
characters, the film isn’t subtitled.
Why is that?
there’s no need. Audiences sense
what the characters are saying by their
tone of voice and their gestures. one
of the film’s layers is an international
perspective of Iceland’s multi-cultural
community. In a way, it is an ode to the
tourist—that beautiful flower in Iceland’s
flora.
5: What do you mean by that?
to me, anyone who loves Iceland is
an Icelander, its current inhabitants as
well as the hundreds of thousands
who visit it every year, viewing it with
fresh eyes. originally, Icelanders were
political refugees; even the Icelandic
horse is an immigrant.
6: Are any of the film’s scenes based
on actual events?
yes, there are some countryside legends
there, which I heard as a boy. Such as
that of the east fjords farmer who
swam his horse out to a french boat
and bought a bottle of Cognac, making
his horse tread water. And every culture
has ancient stories of riders turning to
their horses for saving their lives in a
blizzard. Also, a stallion humiliating a
rider is a very common occurrence.
7: The film is set in the 1980s. Why?
that is when I was at my best. In this
period, I spent a lot of time in the
Icelandic countryside around horses.
Also, I much prefer the color palette of
the period to modern riding wear, which
I find quite ugly. Also, back then, riders
generally didn’t use helmets, which fit in
well with the film.
8: So nostalgia was a factor?
It’s definitely fun to revisit the past; it
gives you freedom. however, the film is
really timeless and could have been set
in our times, had we not opted to forego
the helmets.
9: The film’s setting, with its rugged
terrains, swollen seas and blizzards,
must have posed a threat to the cast?
Absolutely! I want to emphasize that
our first priority was that the animals
wouldn’t be harmed—a veterinarian
was always present. Actually, we would
have needed a doctor for the actors, as
they were in much greater danger!
10: The horses are credited along with
the actors, which is quite unusual.
yes, of course. they are the true stars
of this film. 
CeleBRAteD foR hIS theAtRICAl WoRk, BeneDIkT erlIngSSon (BoRn 1969)
WoWS AuDIenCeS WIth hIS DeBut fIlM Hross í oss (of Horses and Men),
pReMIeReD In AutuMn 2013, WhICh eXploReS the hoRSe In the MAn AnD
the MAn In the hoRSe. the fIlM IS ICelAnD’S ContenDeR In the RACe foR
the foReIGn lAnGuAGe oSCAR 2014.
Horsing Around
Culture Club
BY Ásta andRésdóttiR PHOTO BY PÁLL stefÁnsson