Hafið

It's great to go into a film knowing nothing about it before hand. This was the case when I saw "The Sea." While you can easily see it was adapted from a play the themes are consistent and handled cinematically for the most part.

The first thing that is apparent is that the casting in this film is ridiculously perfect. No actor feels out of place. Speaking of which neither are any of the scenes. It is rare to watch such a multi-character film and never be left confused about who's who. All the characters are sharply defined and they all illustrate the struggle amongst family, between the generations and the joining or avoidance of a globalized world.

The scenes in the pool and the scenes with the black sheep are accessible symbolism that serve comedic or story functions such that the audience is never lost. Another amazing thing is that even though all the characters have undesirable traits they're all funny and identifiable. The only place the film falters in anyway is that the father has a speech that's a little too long at the end. With the way the film cuts the framing of the story is very surprising.

The acting all around is great but those who stand out are Gunnar Eyjólfsson, Hilmir Snær Guðnason, Hélène de Fougerolles, Guðrún Gísladóttir and Elva Ósk Ólafsdóttir.

Whenever watching a foreign film, especially one from a culture I'm not that familiar with, I always look for two things: 1. does it seem indigenous and not overly influenced by Hollywood? 2. While being indigenous does it communicate a universal message and/or theme. "The Sea" succeeds in both cases.

I think this is an excellent movie. If it was released in an English-spoken version it would probably have been a great success. I think this movie was never released in the Netherlands. Luckily it's now available on DVD. The movie is mainly Icelandic-spoken; some parts in English and French. The only problem I have with this movie is that it's hard to like any of the characters in this movie. They are all anti-social, selfish and cruel. I hope this movie is not an accurate portrayal of Icelandic social life. The only human person Françoise is from France (is there a message here?), played excellently by Hélène de Fougerolles. But her character is annoyingly passive at the crucial points at the end of the story; I found this not very convincing because at the start of the movie she's showing a lot of initiative.

Douglas Sirk spends a family weekend in an Icelandic outport. Tyrannical father, dissipated children, conspiracy, destruction, alcohol, incest, and as a contemporary touch some spray painting. No Rock Hudson, though.

Despite being set against the paralyzing beauty of the Icelandic

coast, "The Sea" is nothing more than standard family reunion

drama. We've all seen this movie before whether in high form

"Celebration" or the more banal "Home for the Holidays." Although

"The Sea" shoots for the high form, it fails to surpass the banal. In

Baltasar Kormakur's sophomore feature (he also directed the

critically acclaimed 101 Reykjavik), he explores the explosive

relationship between parents and children. The plot revolves

around an aging owner of a small-town fishing business, more

specifically, his narrow vision of the future and the forces of

progress and time that stand in his way. While Kormakur's

themes are explicit and the tension apparent, the transitions

between moods and the dramatic arc are confused and sloppy.



The film begins by introducing us to the perils facing the mom and

pop store equivalent of the fishing industry: technologically inferior,

inefficient and out-performed by the corporate competition. In the

face of outstanding loses and potential bankruptcy, the stubborn

aging owner who built the enterprise and consequently the town

that has grown from its existence refuses to sell out. Instead, the

weak man calls upon his children in hopes that they will be

inspired by a duty to family and home, resurrect the dying industry

and restore the business to the father's imagined version of its

glory days. The children, who have long abandoned any sentimental connection with home land, have different ideas. The

reunion and father's request only reminds them of the years of

suffering and mistreatment they endured while under his roof and

the repressed anger they harbored after all of these years.



The film undergoes a major transition as it shifts between the first

and second acts. The first is designed as some light introduction

to the backward ways of the Icelandic rural society and the

incompatibility between the coca-cola city kids and the coarse

nature of the unruly outback. However, as the film shifts from perils

of the practice to perils of the past, and as the comic relief is

substituted with explosions of anger, the emotional outbursts and

the venomous shouting matches seem ill-explained. The cause

lacks the force to bring about the ensuing eruptions, which in the

end seem almost farcical on account of their extreme nature.

Nevertheless in light of several outstanding shortcomings,

Baltasar does shoot some very beautiful scenes and framed a set

on par with poetry. Unfortunately, there was no bite to the

provocative premise.

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There is not one performance in this film that isn't well done and captivating. The unusual rustic settings and photography are constantly engrossing. The direction is excellent and the editing keeps the film moving at a good pace.

So what's wrong? I've seen it before. The dysfunctional Scandinavian family film is a genre unto itself. You get kung fu films from China, you get Bollywood musicals from India and you get dysfunctional family films from Scandinavia.The problems in this film are unique but the whole story arc that leads to a climatic blow-up is typical of the genre.

That all said, I enjoyed the film and recommend it with the warning that you might have seen it all before.