Möwengelächter

This is a wonderful movie, set in the 1950's, about a beautiful woman who returns to Iceland after living in America. She reminds me a little of Scarlet O'Hara. She is a strong woman who takes no prisoners. The slinky dresses she brings back from the United States make quite a contrast with the dowdy woolen clothes that her relatives wear. Her beauty, glamor and willfulness wreak havoc on the population. The childlike delight which which she deploys her charms is wonderful to behold.

The movie is not in any way dull or dreary. It moves pretty quickly, has a droll sense of humor, and a knowingness about human nature.

If you are sensitive; there is one brief scene where something bad happens to an animal. The event is bad, but mostly takes place out of view. There are some sex scenes which are not extremely graphic, but do show female nudity.

I'd recommend this movie. As foreign or independent movies go, this is one of the better ones. Compared to the one or two other Icelandic movies that I have seen, this is the best by a wide margin.

The Seagull's Laughter is a wonderful film about the post-war times in Iceland. An American officer's widow comes back home and upsets a whole community, stealing the eyes of all the men, and disappearing into rocks, as the Icelandic elves do. Seen through the eyes of a young girl, it arouses a rainbow of emotions in the audience, and has them singing on their way out.

A family member from an Icelandic village is returning home after living with her husband in America. She says that her husband died of a heart attack, "while I was cleaning the fridge." "You had a fridge?" says another. Yep, a comedy.

Everybody is happy to see her and among them is a young cousin , Egga, a mischievous 12-year-old girl, who seems to regard this new family member with special fascination. On the one hand the new arrival "just seems" evil but on the other, a person she cannot help admiring. This older cousin is still young and coquettish, masterfully flirtatious, and endowed with charms galore. She meets someone but runs into trouble. Egga tries to save the situation by intercepting their letters and rewriting them (she is the courier).

Egga exhibits another proclivity, spinning yarns and relating them to the village policeman (who reacts with bemused tolerance) implicating others (especially her cousin) in wrong doings, of which, however, there is almost certainly a measure of truth, exactly how much is unknown. There is a comic flair to all of this and some of it rather dark. These two cousins comprise the dominant thread of the story but other family members get their moments and there is a great deal of charm to it all. The events have a certain rollicking bluster. The ending is priceless. I can't believe how well this is all put together. I had to watch it twice.

I can't really pigeon-hole this film. It's a kind of Icelandic Witches of Eastwick soap opera laden with Icelandic lore and served up with a wonderful cast of Icelanders, none of whose names I recognize or have seen before, that takes you down a winding, rocky, barren, stark, coastal path to a place where you wonder what's going on. Having gotten there, you know no more than when you started out but you've had one helluva time getting there. The two principals, Freyja (Margret Vilhjalmsdottir) and Agga, (Ulga Egilsdottir)generate a chemistry of love and intrigue between an older, mysterious woman and the younger, naive but precocious prepubescent girl, mixed with admiration and loathing. This is a delightful glimpse into the stark, cold world of Iceland, their subtle class system and some marvelous faces. Margret Vilhjamsdottir's has the same stark, sharp beauty of Aussie Nicole Kidman with eyes that can light fires and Ulga Egilsdottir's face is a delight to watch. All in all, this is a real romp of a film and I do love the non-ending.

THE SEAGULL'S LAUGHTER does one thing that international films rarely achieve: It transfers humor from one culture to another without exaggeration or silliness. The ironic nature of its black humor permeates each scene, resulting in a truly delightful film. The Left Elbow Index consider seven aspects of film--acting, plot, character, dialogue, production sets, artistry and film continuity--on a scale of 10 for excellent, 5 for average, and 1 for weak. First off, there are no weak areas in this film. The acting is very good by all the characters, with Ugla Egilsdottir's a notch above the others. It is difficult to believe those who claim this is her first major acting job. She's great in this role. The plot is also very good, and the adherence to plot structure is superior to most other films. The characters are average, mostly comic stereotypes in the British manner. The dialogue is average, with a total absence of trite interjections that find their way into some many Hollywood and Ballywood movies. No one has to make cute inane comments in this one. The production set are excellent, both indoors and outdoors, especially those which contrast the crowded living condition with the vast expanses of Iceland. The artistry is normal in the areas of costumes and music. The film continuity is very good in regard to tone and suspense. Just what will Agga do next? The Left Elbow Index average is 7.85, when equated to the IMDb scale it is a 9.0. Alas, this is a totally enjoyable movie, and I recommend it for some fun entertainment.