So this is the third Icelandic film I see in a very short time and it's the worst. The director made a pretty good job with 101 Reykjavik, although I was not that impressed by it, it's still miles ahead of this film in every respect. Quite frankly I had a strong feeling that the people involved in this film were trying to make the ultimate European art house formula, which in my opinion is at times even worse than the most formulatic Hollywood films. Well the formula fails dramatically here. This film has it all, outdoor sex scenes in snow covered lagoons, pretensious dialogue, the hardship of life in the north. It tries to hard to include everything a film festival would want from a foreign film and it ends up being a second class version of the Danish film The Celebration. There is nothing original in anything, it's flat and boring at times and the acting and direction at the best of times border on the very pretensious. I really think scandinavian cinema needs to find a new direction if this is what they want to offer us.
Reviews
3 Reviews
101 Reykjavík
(2000)
If you're into Iceland, this is for you.
23 October 2002
As a movie it's not that great and doesn't really make any sense, but if you're into Icelandic music or culture and want to sample the night life on film then it has everything you need. It's not a bad film, but it isn't great either. I'd give it an above average rating and I recommend that people take a look. But it lacks any clear direction and does fall into over used cliches every now and again.
A Man Like Me
(2002)
very cute and feelgood
22 October 2002
I saw this film while in Iceland this summer. I've only seen one other Icelandic film which at the time did not impress me, that film was 101 Reykjavik. This film has some similarities but all in all it's a much more enjoyable experience and a nicer film. It's a contemporary Reykjavik story about icelanders and foreigners mixing it up with some funny results and honest views on Icelandic society. Stephanie Che plays a character from mainland China that's just moved to Iceland in hope of a new life, there she meets an Icelandic postal worker and falls in love. The film is mostly about the guy and his family and how the deal with there relationships with somebody from the other side of the world. The film is very well acted and it has a warm feelgood quality to it. The director seems to have given the actors some freedom as to where to go with dialogue and even scenes and that gives the film a raw and spontaneous quality and some odd humor every now and again. All in all this is a good film and I certainly hope it will get a wider audience outside of Iceland.
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