Rokland

This dramedy from Iceland plays a little like the ancient Greek tragedies. Like Oedipus, Boddi (played by Ólafur Darri Ólafsson) is intelligent but still doomed to tragedy. Actually, I'm making the film sound too dry...

Rokland is simply great drama with some cutting satire and dark sardonic humour sprinkled in. From the beautiful cinematography to the quirky animation, there's always something good to look at here. And the story itself is never less than gripping and original. You've never seen a film quite like this.

I was impressed by all of the performances, but actor Ólafur Darri Ólafsson simply hits it out of the park here. I knew this guy could act, because I'd seen him in a few earlier Icelandic films, but I was still blown away by his performance in Rokland.

If you're looking for something unique that will give you a glimpse into real Icelandic culture, look no further. Rokland is a film for you.

Rokland tells the story of Bodvar, a high-school teacher, poet and Icelandic man of spirit stuck in a small, dead-end town, surrounded by the crass moral, spiritual and intellectual decadence of a society dominated by materialism, greed and Americanization. Tragedy and comedy ensue as Bodvar is fired from his job for trying to introduce his students to their saga heritage, struggles with the incomprehension of the locals and his family, impregnates a local past- her-prime woman and is scorned by the young, beautiful girl he is in love with.

The problem with the film is that it tries too hard to be many things at once: comedy, satire, social critique and tragedy. The film starts off well and has many funny scenes and moments, and we, the audience, learn to appreciate and love the quirkiness, soulfulness and moral integrity of Bodvar. Half-way through, alas, the film takes a sharp U-turn and becomes a serious, emotional, surreal drama laced with social critique, angst and violence. It doesn't quite manage to pull it any of it off, and the whole thing comes across as heavy-handed and overly dramatic. It would have been better to stick with dark comedy.

Overall, worth watching if you're into Icelandic films; it's a decent addition to the Icelandic film flora, and definitely above-par for the country's film-making in the past decade, if only thanks to Olafur Darri's compelling portrayal of Bodvar and the sharp, funny caricatures of some well-known personality types in Icelandic society.