Herzstein

Must watch! The movie just grips you from the start and does not let go. The acting is superp and the shots are beautiful. It portrays the harshness of the wilderness with the first feeling of the youth coming of age.

Very hard movie to watch very beautiful landscapes and setting. In Iceland blood runs thick I think it was all done very well and Realistically and it is so sad such a sad story All the animal abuse was not fun to watch but added a reasonable and important effect to Kristján and Thor's mindsets. I think there is a lot of talent in all of these child actors but I do think the subject matter breached comfortability for me watching them act. Very rough scenes: when Kristján is screaming underwater When Thor almost falls down the cliff When Kristján is crying in the horse stables

2020 Edit :

This movie has been in the back of my mind the whole day. I think it's because there's a lot to unpack here and I went to bed last night without processing it all. Before I get into the actual review let me just say that this was visually, emotionally, and captivatingly stunning.

So at first, I thought that I only enjoyed this because it was filmed in Iceland and the landscape (and skies and sunsets and clouds!!) were amazing. Looking back, I think that wasn't entirely it. The imagery was intertwined with the emotive connotations of each scene so thoughtfully. I take back what I said in my last review about moving to Wales, I'm going to Iceland instead.

Heartstone is a coming of age film revolving around the lives of two best friends, Thor and Christian. Both boys have difficult familial relationships and are going through the awkwardness and drama that comes with being a teen. They can rely on each other, their friends, and the two girls that take romantic interests in them. It was so fun to watch them learn from their town and their friends and grapple with really introspective feelings and thoughts about themselves. I felt like I was there with them and often felt this weird aesthetically stimulating sensation which was so cool to experience.

I liked that there was no big revelation or "aha moment" of self-discovery because your identity isn't something you just come to terms with overnight (although Christian does experience some very detrimental and critical things that do change his life quite drastically, he is multifaceted and continues to battle with these things throughout the entirety of the movie). These moments are scaffolded and broken down into reasonable pieces. I thought the film did a great job of expanding on this, and it alludes to the fact that both of these characters will probably still be battling an internal struggle in the future. Coming of age teen movies often feel the need to tie up all loose ends, but I'm glad that this didn't. The actors were did a fantastic job of expressing the complexity of what the characters were feeling.

If you are looking for a couple of hours of solitude, beauty, and reflection, this is your jackpot. There is so much more I could say about this but I think I'll rewatch and maybe do another review so I can nuance my thoughts a bit more.

This film tells the story of two young boys, who are experiencing and exploring romantic feelings in their Icelandic summer.

Much of the first half of the film portrays violence, bullying and animal cruelty. The antisocial behaviors are quite shocking to me, as I have always imagined the idyllic Iceland to be a peaceful place with nice people. As the turbulence grows, the tension between the children increases. It is sad to see that Thor does not see what is blindingly obvious, and it takes a tragic event to wake him up. This story is a harsh coming of age film.

Sensitive. So beautifully constructed in each detail and raw in his way to describe what it's like to growing up.

With Heartstone (2016), Icelandic writer-director Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson delivers an outstanding feature film debut about adolescence.

The setting of the story in a small isolated Icelandic fishing village, combined with truly amazing performances by the young actors, gives the themes of friendship, identity, love, puberty and sexual awakening an incredible power. Added to this, the beautiful photography and use of landscapes and, not the least, the wonderfully composed score by Danish Kristian Eidnes Andersen, make the film a heart-breaking, beautiful force - and a proof of true filmmaking talent.