Probably a polar survival epic isn’t everybody’s choice to watch on a Saturday night in. But there was nothing exciting on the telly last Saturday. I watched the opening scene and somehow stayed glued to the screen for the next 90 minutes or so.
It’s bleak, it’s slow, it has very little dialogue monologue in it, although at times I wished it had even less of it. To stay alive, Mads “the sexiest man in Denmark” Mikkelsen’s character should have paid more attention to his clothing; the polar bear was too well-fed to be plausibly found in the wild; but all in all, a well-crafted film. Also, a good reminder why I don’t want to live in a place that is covered in snow most of the year, or, come to think about it, any part of the year.
I’ve never been to Iceland. And I still would love to visit this strange country. I can’t say that this film exactly inspire to do so. Iceland according to Rams must be the bleakest, the coldest, the most depressing place on earth. And that is before the scrapie epidemic strikes.
There are a few scenes one can describe as comic but this is not a comedy by any stretch, not even a tragicomedy. It is just an understatedly beautiful film. The interplay of two male leads, Sigurður Sigurjónsson and Theódór Júlíusson (in real life, they aren’t brothers but they look as if they are), is something you won’t see in Hollywood movies. And the minimalist score by Atli Örvarsson more than compensates for the lack of that Icelandic scenery I heard so much about.
Are Nordic films really as melancholic, depressing, and humourless as rumour has it? Four Nordic film journals — Filmmagasinet Ekko from Denmark, Rushprint from Norway, Flm from Sweden and Episodi from Finland — have tasked themselves with finding the exceptions that showcase the cheerful and self-deprecating side to Nordic cinema.
Not that I ever suspected Nordic cinema of humourlessness. It took me a while to go through the whole collection. Truth to be told, most of these shorts are depressing and melancholic, except for a couple of positively sinister ones. As for “funny”... They are funny, but weird funny rather than hilarious funny. Cheerful they are not.
Other delights include Swedish Elixir (that is, a magic formula to transform immigrants into true Swedes); Finnish animation The Irresistible Smile; and Danish Oscar-winning Election Night (which also could be found on Cinema 16: European Short Films collection).
Las Palmas by Johannes Nyholm (Sweden, 2011, 13 min)
No Sex Just Understand by Mariken Halle (Norway, 2011, 15 min)
Äiti ei enää keilaa (Mother Doesn’t Bowl Anymore) by Teemu Nikki (Finland, 2010, 10 min)
Slitage (Seeds of the Fall) by Patrik Eklund (Sweden, 2009, 18 min)
This Is Alaska by Mårten Nilsson and Gunilla Heilborn (Sweden, 2009, 10 min)
Space Monkeys by Jan Rahbek (Denmark, 2008, 8 min)
Sunday Mornings by Jannicke Låker (Norway, 2008, 9 min)
Naglinn (The Nail by Benedikt Erlingsson (Iceland, 2008, 16 min)
Sagan om den lille Dockpojken (The Tale of Little Puppetboy) by Johannes Nyholm (Sweden, 2008, 18 min)
Anna by Helena Stefánsdóttir (Iceland, 2007, 13 min)
Occupations by Lars von Trier (Denmark, 2007, 3 min)
Ilo irti (The Irresistible Smile) by Ami Lindholm (Finland, 2006, 6 min)
Järvi (The Lake) by Maarit Lalli (Finland, 2006, 9 min)
Elixir by Babak Najafi (Sweden, 2004, 26 min)
De beste går først (United We Stand) by Hans Petter Moland (Norway, 2002, 9 min)
Music for One Apartment and Six Drummers by Ola Simonsen and Johannes Stjärne Nilsson (Sweden, 2001, 10 min)
Døren som ikke smakk (Shut the Door) by Jens Lien (Norway, 2000, 10 min)
Pilot for En duva satt på en gren och funderade på tillvaron (A Pigeon Sat on a Branch - Reflecting on Existence) by Roy Andersson (Sweden, 2011, 8 min)
