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I never did get around to seeing Dagur Kári's first film, Nói albínói, but now that I've seen his second, I'll make it a priority. Dark Horse (as it was called at AFI Fest in Los Angeles) is a very funny, stylish, and genuinely touching comedy in the vein of Jim Jarmusch's early films, albeit livelier and less adamantly cerebral.

Daniel (Jakob Cedergren) is a graffiti artist who probably embodies the term loser more fully than anyone you have ever met. He's broke, lazy, irresponsible and dorky. This is a comedy, though, and appropriately, Daniel is a lovable loser. Morfar (Nicolas Bro) is Daniel's only apparent friend, an overweight dude who works in a sleep clinic and maintains aspirations of becoming a soccer referee.

The story gets underway when these two guys visit a bakery and the beautiful woman behind the counter (Tilly Scott Pederson) spontaneously declares her love for Morfar, who is so taken aback by her expression that he runs away. Immediately after, Daniel discovers that this chick is tripping on psychedelic mushrooms, casting some doubt on her romantic declaration, and he aids her in getting home. So begins a loser's love triangle which by the end of the film has very gracefully become about something else: the possibility of elusive, fundamental personal change, both for the better and for the worse.

Every member of this cast, down to the most peripheral supporting role, is terrific. The two leading men, in particular, are understated and yet deeply human. Kári's sense of the visual and the aural (he clearly cares a lot about sound) is very hip but always elegant. He shoots quirky angles in high contrast back-and-white, but every shot is about something; even his flourishes have purpose.

Most importantly, the script by Kári and his co-writer, Rune Schjøtt, gracefully treads that very risky territory between the offbeat and the naturalistic. His characters move through their lives whimsically and even the narrative structure seems vaguely improvised, yet there is a graceful evolution to the unfolding of events that, by the end, gives the classic sense of inevitability that we associate with the best film writing.

(It speaks volumes, I think, that the English subtitles were sometimes impossible to read because of the stark white areas in the frame, and yet I never felt that I missed a beat).

I don't see a U.S. release date indicated on the IMDb, but I can't imagine that Dark Horse (or whatever they're going to call it) won't ultimately find a distributor. This is that rare breed of crowd-pleasing art flick that any half-astute specialty studio should be fighting over.

Although I appreciated the other comments submitted to this point, I saw this movie at the Cleveland International Film Festival and was terribly perplexed by what it meant to convey.

Initially it's a comedy, and a wonderful one at that. Then the characters get hit hard by life's events. Then they change. Unusual events occur, but we don't know why.

It's not until the end that we're left with the magical part of the story the movie is telling. As the main character, Daniel undergoes a slow but significant metamorphosis from a bum (but a lucky one) to a character who cares about others and has become responsible.

Although at first a minor character, the judge is a sort of doppelganger for Daniel. We first see him in the sleep clinic, then in the court where he pronounces Daniel's sentence. The near-collision with Daniel seems to trigger "the switch", where the judge then steals a gift for his child. By the time we see him staying at the airport instead of going to a meeting we're not even remotely surprised that he runs into Daniel. By the time his wife is confronted with the evidence of his theft the translation to bum is complete.

Now to see the movie paying attention to how and when the magic takes effect: is it the near-accident or when the elephants parade by? What about the flash of color? Is there something else?

A good watch to begin with and a better watch the second time around!

I already saw this movie two times in the last two years - and I can say that all these great comments about it are more than justified. This movie is much more than just a comedy or a sentimental story - it has something almost supernatural in it - of course because it makes you think about life but also because it makes you 'feel' the story. The color moment was impressive, everything else was in the right pace and time. Movies like this are very rare in this century - for me this is not a movie but a masterpiece of art.

Of course masterpieces are not always understandable to simple people...

This movie is first icelandic movie I have seen. Before I entered the cinema, I had no idea what the film was about. When I exit,my feelings were so complicated that I can't find the right word. This film is fully equipped with tiny details,which makes it deeper for focused viewers.Sometimes it gets out of the borders of absurdity,you find yourself laughing unconsciously. Sometimes you feel yourself so desperate,melancholic that you freeze in your seat,not knowing what to do.To tell the truth,this is what makes a movie see-able. Techniques used in the movie are seen before but director added some new details from himself. Repetition of some scenes is like emphasizing the importance of them just like in poetry or prose. Coloured scene is great. Turning point of the movie.

really liked this movie and looking forward to see it again.

A lot of art movies are beautiful but ain't fun. Dark horse on the other hand is different. The movie is cinematographic really beautiful (a lot of the shot's could be art photo's) but besides that is a nice story mixed with some dark humor. I have a spot for movies that start out strong, and this one really had a nice opening!

The scenery reminds me of French movies from the sixties, maybe that's because the movie is not in color (though it was filmed in color), the looks of the girl, the fiat 500 he drives, the interiors they used or just because of the title poster (they lay in front of the fiat on a field). But it gives the Dark Horse something nice, all together the best movie a saw in months.

It's a shame that so few have seen this movie, it was just me and my girlfriend at the cinema and given the number of votes here on IMDb or rottentomatoes it is not very popular.