Greetings again from the darkness. I've always been enamored with movies which are paced so deliberately that it can easily seem like not much is happening, when actually we drift from dark comedy to tenderness to tragedy. It's likely why I've been drawn to films from Iceland, including this one from writer-director Elfar Adalsteins (END OF SENTENCE, 2019) who has adapted the 2005 novel from renowned Icelandic author Jon Kalman Stefansson. The culture in this small village is such that folks mostly keep to themselves, and nature is a constant companion.
A three-minute opening monologue from the narrator is part poetry and part informative. We learn the village has neither a church nor a graveyard. The surrounding water and mountains provide stunning beauty around these folks living mostly simple lives. We tour the knitting factory and learn that it's actually profitable. We get to know some of the folks in the village and see how they dutifully go about their daily lives.
Director Adalsteins structures this less as a cohesive story and more as individual vignettes that tie to a theme. Due to powerful dreams, the respected CEO of the factory studies Latin and dives headlong into Astronomy and a pursuit of metaphysical knowledge. A laborer falls victim to intense lust, and his wife holds him accountable. A career law enforcement officer (and widower) doesn't understand his sensitive and artistic son, and goes to an extreme to have this son follow in his footsteps. A lovelorn clinical physician encourages a shy, quiet man to act. A local woman enthusiastically pursues her culinary dream. These are all pieces of a community populated by folks who don't wear their emotions on their sleeves - in fact, stoicism is the norm.
What we find is that obsession exists even within stoicism. And so does tragedy. And so does happiness. A lecture on things that matter has much less impact than local friends forming a band for a community dance. The town's first restaurant not only serves delicious meals, but also inspires friends to gather and support each other. Even the simplest of lives are not that simple. Emotions are brewing under the surface. And though this village seems inextricably tied to the effects of nature, what these folks share with every other corner of the universe is that happiness is fleeting, and tomorrow is not guaranteed. For those that share my appreciation for less conventional storytelling at a meticulous pace, filmmaker Elfar Adalsteins delivers.
Opens in NYC on September 20 and in Los Angeles on September 27. Nationwide release to follow.
