The story of 101 Reykjavik follows Hlynur, a young man in his mid-thirties who lives with his mother. Hlynur enjoys spending his days (and unemployment checks) drinking, watching porn, smoking, and web surfing. He occasionally has sex with Hofy, a girl he regularly sees at the club he frequents, but resists having more than a physical relationship with her. He has several friends he goes to the pub with but his closest relationship is with his mother. At the beginning of the film, Hlynur is content to watch life on a television or computer screen and live in close quarters with his mother. When asked what he does Hlynur replies he does nothing, "the nothing kind of nothing". He detests his extended family and finds their company so mundane that he has fantasies of killing them with a shotgun. However, his routine is upended when his mother's dance instructor, Lola, moves in with them for the holidays. Hlynur is attracted to her and invites her out to an evening with friends. Lola enjoys going out and drinking even more than Hlynur does and leaves the bar with another woman. On New Year's Eve Hlynur finds out that Lola is a lesbian but, despite this insight, he sleeps with her. Complications arise when Hlynur discovers that his mother is in a lesbian relationship with Lola and that Lola is pregnant with his baby. 101 Reykjavik employs clever film techniques to tell the story of an isolated young man and his journey to take an active role in life; a story that could be used as a metaphor for larger situations.
Watching Hlynur step out of his isolated world and into reality is part of what makes 101 Reykjavik an enjoyable film. As the movie progresses, Hlynur is less and less content to continue his aloof lifestyle and becomes more and more engaged with the world around him. The transition is not smooth. Hlynur enjoys his isolation, commenting with relief at a club that it was too noisy to talk and too busy to dance thus providing a barrier to anything potentially engaging or intimate. Lola becomes a major force in Hlynur's life, pulling him out of his self-imposed isolation. This is represented when she makes him watch the fireworks from the balcony and not on the TV regardless of his protests that "they actually look better on a screen". Despite his blasé attitude towards commitment he is genuinely upset when Lola becomes pregnant but does not reveal he is the father and describes the father as a 'donor'. While Hlynur readily accepts his mother for who she is, he has trouble accepting that she will raise his baby and becomes very emotionally conflicted. He tries to reconcile his newfound feelings with his isolated world but the audience can see he is struggling when he attends a party and ends up watching two people have sex. For Hlynur, an avid porn watcher, this could be seen as progress into the real world because watching real sex does not involve the isolation of watching it on a screen. At the end of the movie we see that Hlynur is an active part of his child's life and has a job checking parking meters, proving that Hlynur has started participating in life and even taking on some responsibility.
Several film techniques are employed to include the audience in Hlynur's isolated world and his journey to becoming an active participant in life. Voice overs are a film technique employed to give insight into Hlynur's thoughts and feelings. Hlynur's thoughts track his character change. At the beginning of the film, Hlynur voices his complaint that they don't show porn in the morning. Whereas at the end of the film, Hlynur describes himself as a harmless flightless bird, his inner voice shows that his thoughts have gotten deeper and more self-exploratory. His voice emphasizes his struggle to take more control over his life and become more active. Crane shots of Hlynur trudging through the mountainous Icelandic landscape are also used to convey his isolation as they sweep over the deserted land. These shots give an idea how vastly isolated and, especially at the end of the film, how lonely Hlynur's life is.
Despite the films clear comedic undertones, 101 Reykjavik is a good metaphor for change coming to a small nation like Iceland. Iceland is an isolated country and, like Hlynur, may not completely engage the rest of the world. One of the major changes in Hlynur's life is the revelation of his mother's sexual preferences. Hlynur accepts his mother and notes how social views in Iceland are changing by describing how 'the lesbian is new to Iceland' thus describing how his story could be transcended to the national level. 101 Reykjavik is a good model for change in a small isolated country and how people deal with that change and engage with the greater world as a whole. 101 Reykjavik artfully tells the story of an isolated young man becoming more engaged in life as a message that is universally understood. The film employs techniques such as voice overs and crane shots to convey the isolation that Hlynur feels and his struggle to become fully participating in his world. Many understand Hlynur's struggle to take control of his life and will be able to relate to him and enjoy 101 Reykjavik.
Watching Hlynur step out of his isolated world and into reality is part of what makes 101 Reykjavik an enjoyable film. As the movie progresses, Hlynur is less and less content to continue his aloof lifestyle and becomes more and more engaged with the world around him. The transition is not smooth. Hlynur enjoys his isolation, commenting with relief at a club that it was too noisy to talk and too busy to dance thus providing a barrier to anything potentially engaging or intimate. Lola becomes a major force in Hlynur's life, pulling him out of his self-imposed isolation. This is represented when she makes him watch the fireworks from the balcony and not on the TV regardless of his protests that "they actually look better on a screen". Despite his blasé attitude towards commitment he is genuinely upset when Lola becomes pregnant but does not reveal he is the father and describes the father as a 'donor'. While Hlynur readily accepts his mother for who she is, he has trouble accepting that she will raise his baby and becomes very emotionally conflicted. He tries to reconcile his newfound feelings with his isolated world but the audience can see he is struggling when he attends a party and ends up watching two people have sex. For Hlynur, an avid porn watcher, this could be seen as progress into the real world because watching real sex does not involve the isolation of watching it on a screen. At the end of the movie we see that Hlynur is an active part of his child's life and has a job checking parking meters, proving that Hlynur has started participating in life and even taking on some responsibility.
Several film techniques are employed to include the audience in Hlynur's isolated world and his journey to becoming an active participant in life. Voice overs are a film technique employed to give insight into Hlynur's thoughts and feelings. Hlynur's thoughts track his character change. At the beginning of the film, Hlynur voices his complaint that they don't show porn in the morning. Whereas at the end of the film, Hlynur describes himself as a harmless flightless bird, his inner voice shows that his thoughts have gotten deeper and more self-exploratory. His voice emphasizes his struggle to take more control over his life and become more active. Crane shots of Hlynur trudging through the mountainous Icelandic landscape are also used to convey his isolation as they sweep over the deserted land. These shots give an idea how vastly isolated and, especially at the end of the film, how lonely Hlynur's life is.
Despite the films clear comedic undertones, 101 Reykjavik is a good metaphor for change coming to a small nation like Iceland. Iceland is an isolated country and, like Hlynur, may not completely engage the rest of the world. One of the major changes in Hlynur's life is the revelation of his mother's sexual preferences. Hlynur accepts his mother and notes how social views in Iceland are changing by describing how 'the lesbian is new to Iceland' thus describing how his story could be transcended to the national level. 101 Reykjavik is a good model for change in a small isolated country and how people deal with that change and engage with the greater world as a whole. 101 Reykjavik artfully tells the story of an isolated young man becoming more engaged in life as a message that is universally understood. The film employs techniques such as voice overs and crane shots to convey the isolation that Hlynur feels and his struggle to become fully participating in his world. Many understand Hlynur's struggle to take control of his life and will be able to relate to him and enjoy 101 Reykjavik.