Reviews
Opinberun Hannesar (2003)
Just boring...
This movie is supposed to be some kind of a profound criticism on the surveillance society. It does not succeed. It is just very boring, the music is awful, the acting is worse and it all looks very very low budget. It is claimed to be a comedy but I did not find anything seven slightly amusing in it. I do suspect that the short story by Davíð Oddsson which this film is based upon could be a fun read with a clear message but this film definitely is anything but that. Hrafn Gunnlaugsson needs to do us all a big favor and stop making movies, he simply is not good at it and never has been with the exception of Hrafninn flýgur. Opinberun Hannesar is a new low for the Icelandic movie industry, and we have seen quite awful movies before!
Sódóma Reykjavík (1992)
The greatest Icelandic comedy
Sódóma Reykjavík has become my all time favorite Icelandic movie. It may sound weird but somehow in its absurdity this movie strikes me as being real. Of course the story is ridicilous but the awkward conversations and the very imperfect characters do remind me of real people as opposed to the Hollywood heroes that always know the right things to say and do. It is a tribute to a whole generation of Icelanders and the attitudes towards life that are held by that generation. And of course this is a comedy and as such the funniest I've seen.
I do think that this movie is "too Icelandic" to be fully apreciated by foreigners, it is one made for the people of Iceland about the people of Iceland. If you are searching for the traditional "Icelandic tourist flick" where the magnificent Icelandic landscape is heavily used and the people are all like Björk and Sigur Rós, you should stay away from this picture because it is everything but that. It is one of the best descriptions of the people of Iceland I've seen though.
The english translation on the DVD sucks.