IMDb RATING
5.1/10
6.7K
YOUR RATING
An American photographer adrift in a remote Icelandic community becomes entangled in the lives of a mysterious European couple.An American photographer adrift in a remote Icelandic community becomes entangled in the lives of a mysterious European couple.An American photographer adrift in a remote Icelandic community becomes entangled in the lives of a mysterious European couple.
- Awards
- 4 nominations total
Salóme Gunnarsdóttir
- Liv
- (as Salome R. Gunnarsdottir)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
Well this is one of those movies you wonder why they make them. It should just had been a short movie instead as you could fit that whole story in about half an hour. Because there is not much going on in Autumn Lights. It's not a mystery and I wonder why it's categorized as such. A woman died in the beginning and that's about it for the mystery. Don't expect any answers or why they even showed that part of the movie as it has absolutely nothing to do with the actual story. The actual story is about an unfaithful wife, a tramp let's just call her like that, about her depressive state of mind, and about other men trying to have sexual intercourse with her, and this while her husband is the most naive guy ever. It's boring to watch, so don't believe any of those perfect ratings on here. The only good thing about this movie is the view of the lake but then again National Geography has way better documentaries about lakes.
Autumn Lights is a drama about the main character, David, who is on a work-related vacation in Iceland. The movie focuses on his interactions with the people who live near his vacation house. Since it is a remote location in Iceland, he frequently meets up with a couple, Johann and Marie.
The Good:
A lot of the conversations that were had in this movie will be very relevant to most people and it gives the viewer some food for thought when they leave the theater.
The actors were able to communicate their characters' thoughts and feelings about a situation with just a look on their face. This allows for quiet moments of tension that enhance the tone of the movie.
The Bad:
The overarching plot is a paint-by-numbers of many movies that came before it which led this one to be predictable.
The actors all give subdued performances. Most, if not all, of the dialogue has a monotone delivery which removes some of the emotional punch that could have been present. The director attended the screening I was at and he said he wanted the actors to give quiet performances because it adds to the mystery and depth of each character. This would have been a plus if it was applied to maybe just one character and not all of them.
Overall, if you like movies that are more focused on the conversations that the characters have than the actual plot, you will most likely find some enjoyment from this one. If you don't like slow-paced dramas, I would stay away from this one because it's nothing you haven't seen before.
The Good:
A lot of the conversations that were had in this movie will be very relevant to most people and it gives the viewer some food for thought when they leave the theater.
The actors were able to communicate their characters' thoughts and feelings about a situation with just a look on their face. This allows for quiet moments of tension that enhance the tone of the movie.
The Bad:
The overarching plot is a paint-by-numbers of many movies that came before it which led this one to be predictable.
The actors all give subdued performances. Most, if not all, of the dialogue has a monotone delivery which removes some of the emotional punch that could have been present. The director attended the screening I was at and he said he wanted the actors to give quiet performances because it adds to the mystery and depth of each character. This would have been a plus if it was applied to maybe just one character and not all of them.
Overall, if you like movies that are more focused on the conversations that the characters have than the actual plot, you will most likely find some enjoyment from this one. If you don't like slow-paced dramas, I would stay away from this one because it's nothing you haven't seen before.
Snorri Englibertsson, please read the scrip before you do another drab film like this. The G on G scene was so boring and humiliating to watch. Don't bother watching this one.
The general response to this film is bipolar. Either a masterpiece or godawful. I thought something in between. It is definitely a psychological rather than action movie, but I found the interpersonal dynamics interesting enough to hold my attention. The acting was good, and the characters pretty well crafted. People exhibiting a mix of behavior one will find familiar and unfamiliar. Overall it seemed to me a worthy effort. The critics certainly felt otherwise.
Beautiful locations, so-so (if not dull) cinematography, and useless scenes riddled with weak and expositional dialogue. For an independent film, it looks serviceable, but what is technically satisfactory is doubled in it's problems considering character, plot, and performance. The writing and execution needs work - and though one can see the creators' vision and the concept itself has potential, it ended up resulting in an amateur product. It focuses too much on trivial threads, scenes are repetitive and drag. As a personal project, it's good - but as an actual film, it's a feather - it holds no weight to it. Nothing's really all too incredible except the location of Iceland itself, and let's be real - it's not difficult to make Iceland pretty on screen. It's one of the most moody, scenic, and beautiful places on earth - it's just that the story didn't do anything to service that. Heavy handed and boring, even pretentious, this film brings no revelations. Too much telling and not enough showing to bring about the emotional context it so desires to play on. Tries to be earnest without much substance to its subject, as well as predictable.
Though this film wasn't that much of an experience to get through, I wouldn't object to seeing any future pieces of the director/studio's in hope that their next project will be much more competent. All that I've taken from this film is that I need to visit Iceland, but I've already known that for a very long time.
Though this film wasn't that much of an experience to get through, I wouldn't object to seeing any future pieces of the director/studio's in hope that their next project will be much more competent. All that I've taken from this film is that I need to visit Iceland, but I've already known that for a very long time.
Did you know
- TriviaVon Fleischer, a composer referred to by characters in the film, is actually a fictitious person. The classical music arrangements were instead apart of the original score by Hjörtur Ingvi Jóhannsson and Hugi Gudmundsson.
- ConnectionsReferences Trois couleurs: Rouge (1994)
- How long is Autumn Lights?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- Sonbahar Işıkları
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $207,500
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $93,000
- Oct 21, 2016
- Runtime
- 1h 38m(98 min)
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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