In 2016, a crew of Icelandic fishermen operating in the North Atlantic Ocean, dredged up something surprising from the seabed – four decaying reels of film, semi-preserved by the ocean’s natural resources of hydrogen sulphide, that set innovative documentarian Bill Morrison, of Dawson City: Frozen Time fame, on a fascinating […]
Iceland
Under the Tree (2017) Icelandic Black Comedy fails to live up to its early promise (Review)
Released in cinemas by Eureka Pictures, Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurđsson’s Icelandic black comedy Under the Tree begins with an inspired contemporary take on an old joke. Atli, played by Steinthór Hróar Steinthórsson, is watching a sex tape of himself with his ex-girlfriend when his wife walks in. Panicked, he closes the […]
Rams (2015) Grímur Hákonarson emerges onto the front page of world cinema (Review)
Winner of the 2015 ‘Un Certain regard’ strand at Cannes and a film of intriguing realism is Rams. Grímur Hákonarson’s critically acclaimed film is the story of a rural Icelandic sheep farming community ravaged by the fatal, degenerative disease Scrapie. The film opens with Brothers Gummi (Sigurður Sigurjónsson) and Kiddi […]