Ms. Hen reviews three films from Iceland

RAMS

Directed by Grimur Hakonarson

2016

REYKJAVIK 101

Directed by Baltasar Komarkur

2000

NOI THE ALBINO

Directed by Dagur Kari

2013

It’s been a hot summer where Ms. Hen lives. She doesn’t have decent air conditioning, and on hot days she sits inside with her fan, and sprays herself with a water bottle. She decided that it would be a good idea to watch films from Iceland in the middle of summer, since she thought watching people covered in snow might cool her off.

Films from Iceland are strange. Ms. Hen thinks it’s because Iceland must be an odd place, but she’s never been there. She’s heard people from Iceland are the happiest people because they don’t expect too much from life, all they need is a bottle of vodka and some fish, and they’re content.

In the film RAMS, two brothers, Gummi and Kiddi are neighbors, but they don’t speak. A plague hits Gummi’s sheep and all the sheep in town must be killed. The Icelandic farmers have a difficult life, so when Ms. Hen watched this, she didn’t feel too badly about her own. Gummi and Kiddi fight to save their own herd. Ms. Hen thinks that the scenery in this film is exquisite: a raw landscape similar to the moon. The snow in this film cooled Ms. Hen off.

REYKJAVIK 101 is a different type of film. Hlynur is thirty and lives with his mother, goes out drinking, and doesn’t have any goals. His mother’s friend, a Flamenco dancer from Spain, comes to stay with them and the situation becomes complicated. Another woman likes Hlynur, but he doesn’t want her, even though they’re sleeping together. Hlynur is interested in the Spanish woman, but is shocked when he finds out the truth about why she is staying with his family. There are lots of scenes of parties and bars, people drinking and dancing, and Ms. Hen thought these scenes appeared hectic. Ms. Hen thought Hlynur proclaimed a great line which sums up Iceland, “There are no insects and no trees. The only reason people live here is because they were born here.”

NOI THE ALBINO is about a young man with a troubled life. Noi doesn’t like to go to school, he lives with his father and grandmother, and there is nothing to do in the small village where he lives. He steals money from slot machines, and becomes interested in the young woman who works at the gas station. This is a film about someone who has bad luck, but in the end, his life could turn around. It’s about finding chances. Noi isn’t very smart, but he has ambition. Ms. Hen watched this on one of the hottest days of the year while sitting in front of her fan. The snow in this film appears to be so cold, that Ms. Hen could almost feel it.

Ms. Hen enjoyed watching these films from Iceland. Some other films that depict cold weather are FARGO, MARCH OF THE PENGUINS and any of the Harry Potter films. Ms. Hen is fascinated by Iceland and would like to go someday. Some people could think she lives in Reykjavik, because it might say that online, but that’s a joke. She doesn’t think she could live there, because she believes too much cold is not pleasant. What is pleasant is cooling off in the summer watching films full of snow.