Under The Tree (15.)
Directed by Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson.
Starring Steinþór Hróar Steinþórsson, Edda Björgvinsdóttir, Sigurður Sigurjónsson, Þorsteinn Bachmann, Selma Björnsdóttir, Lára Jóhanna Jónsdóttir. In Icelandic with subtitles. 89 mins.
At the junction where all the Hollywood film crews turn right in search of otherworldy glaciers, black sand and waterfalls, this heads straight on for the drab avenues of suburban Reykjavik for a tale of neighbours warring over a leafy tree that is casting shade over the next door patio.
A dark comedy set in an Icelandic summer, but the prevailing shade is grey. This Iceland is drab featureless Scandinavia, the Noir Scandi usually populated by jumper wearing lady cop, young vampires and taciturn labourers.
The tale of petty frustrations escalating exponentially is well handled; the emotions are credibly developed; the bleak ironies are laid out in tasteful intervals; but it is miserable. In the opening scene, Atli (Steinþórsson) is caught by his wife watching a sex tape of him and a previous girlfriend, but from there it is a story of unreasonable women causing grief for decent blokes.
Directed by Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson.
Starring Steinþór Hróar Steinþórsson, Edda Björgvinsdóttir, Sigurður Sigurjónsson, Þorsteinn Bachmann, Selma Björnsdóttir, Lára Jóhanna Jónsdóttir. In Icelandic with subtitles. 89 mins.
At the junction where all the Hollywood film crews turn right in search of otherworldy glaciers, black sand and waterfalls, this heads straight on for the drab avenues of suburban Reykjavik for a tale of neighbours warring over a leafy tree that is casting shade over the next door patio.
A dark comedy set in an Icelandic summer, but the prevailing shade is grey. This Iceland is drab featureless Scandinavia, the Noir Scandi usually populated by jumper wearing lady cop, young vampires and taciturn labourers.
The tale of petty frustrations escalating exponentially is well handled; the emotions are credibly developed; the bleak ironies are laid out in tasteful intervals; but it is miserable. In the opening scene, Atli (Steinþórsson) is caught by his wife watching a sex tape of him and a previous girlfriend, but from there it is a story of unreasonable women causing grief for decent blokes.
