Nói the Albino-Movie Review 07/27/2011
Posted by Films to consider in Dark Comedy, Emotional Drama, Icelandic language film, Movies.2 comments
Nói the Albino (Icelandic) 2003
(Nói Albinói)
Among many awards and nominations:
WINNER, New director’s Award-Special Mention (Kári), Edinburgh International Film Festival
WINNER, Movie Zone Award (Kári); NOMINATED, Tiger Award (Kári), Rotterdam International Film Festival
WINNER, Actor of the Year (Lemarquis); Director of the Year (Kári); Best Film; Screenplay of the Year (Kári); Supporting Actor of the Year (Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson), Edda Awards, Iceland
Directed and screenplay by Dagur Kári
Starring Tómas Lemarquis and Elín Hansdóttir
An emotional drama, tinged with occasional dark humor, about an isolated teenage boy growing up in an isolated Icelandic community. Nói Kristmundsson (Lemarquis) lives in a fishing village located on a fjord in the north of Iceland. In winter, the fjord becomes a frozen island, cut off from the rest of Iceland. In every direction, the landscape is blinding white snow and stark upright mountains.
Nói looks different, and he is different. He struggles in school, where he is viewed as either retarded or a genius, he struggles with his father, and finally he struggles with his desire to leave the community with Íris (Hansdóttir) his new girlfriend.
The director uses the natural landscape and lighting, which has a bluish tint, to great advantage. A good film to watch on a hot summer day.
90 min. Rated PG-13. Adult themes and brief nudity.
White Night Wedding-Movie Review 05/27/2011
Posted by Films to consider in Dark Comedy, Icelandic language film, Light Drama, Movies.add a comment
White Night Wedding (Icelandic) 2008
Brúðguminn
Official Entry-Iceland, Best Foreign Language Film, Academy Awards
Winner, Best Film, Best Actor (Gudnason), Best Supporting Actor (Gunnarsson), Best Supporting Actress (Jónsdóttir), Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Set Design, Edda Awards, Iceland
Winner, Young Audience Award (Kormákur), Rouen Nordic Film Festival
Directed by Baltasar Kormákur; written by Baltasar Kormákur and Ólafur Egilsson
Starring Hilmir Snær Gudnason, Ólafía Hrönn Jónsdóttir, Margrét Vilhjálmsdóttir, Laufey Eliasdottir, and Thorstur Leó Gunnarsson
Set in the beautiful but isolated Icelandic town of Flatey, during the midnight sun time of the year. Jon (Gudnason) is a former college professor about to get married to Thora (Eliasdottir), a much younger woman, but his previous marriage to Anna (Vilhjálmsdóttir) gives him the jitters about moving on. The plot switches between the time periods of Jon’s two relationships.
A great performance by Gudnason as Jon. He is surrounded by a collection of humorous and/or quirky characters, especially notable his friend Börkur, played by Thorstur Leó Gunnarsson.
94 min. Unrated. Adult themes, sexuality and brief nudity.
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