An Icelandic couple live with their herd of sheep on a beautiful but remote farm. When they discover a mysterious newborn on their land, they decide to keep it and raise it as their own. This unexpected development and the prospects of a new family brings them much joy before ultimately destroying them.
- Released: 2021-08-12
- Runtime: 106 minutes
- Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery
- Stars: Noomi Rapace, Hilmir Snær Guðnason, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, Ingvar Sigurdsson, Ester Bibi, Sigurður Elvar Viðarson, Theodór Ingi Ólafsson, Arnþruður Dögg Sigurðardóttir, Gunnar Þor Karlsson, Lára Björk Hall
- Director: Valdimar Jóhannsson
Comments
- miless-49621 - 8 January 2023
Bizarre and Interesting Stuff, But Too Much Filler As Well.
There is a certain amount of icelandic bleakness that is to be expected in any film made there. At the same time, there is just so much empty and uneventful space in this film. I enjoyed many parts of it, but it gave us too little plot fiber to bond with the child and too much filler.
I am 100% interested in slow, large, open empty shots so long as there is a purpose to them. So long as an ant walks across the screen in the corner, there maybe was enough of a purpose, a contextual necessity, or an allegory. In this film, too many shots are simply empty and still. Yes, it's fine to have a film that is quiet and slow, but in this case it felt that they were a substitute for the main dish instead of an accent to it.
Regardless, i think this is worth a watch. It just feels rather empty and pointless, and perhaps that's supposed to be a lesson re: humans needing to leave animals alone and to stop projecting meaning onto our interactions with them unless we are genuinely helping them.
I have to take 2 stars off just because i think there is perhaps an entire character, and/or major event, and/or setting missing from the film. The ending was well executed and surprising in concept, but the extremely lengthy segment of the protagonist running out into the field and then subsequently staring at the camera for like 10-15 minutes straight was very questionable, and i would personally make a fan edit that removes this scene. I have to wonder what could have been done with just this specific amount of time, much less many others earlier in the story. - arthur_tafero - 24 October 2022
Soap With Ice - Dyrio
If you are a big fan of soaps, you can a star to this film. It is a slice of life in an unusual setting; Iceland. This actually helps the plot of the film along, as Iceland is both a beautiful and lonely place at the same time. It is quite easy to understand how a relationship, if not nourished constantly, can quickly turn into a dispassionate, cold, and mundane association. The introduction of a third party is sometimes a positive thing for relationships, as an unbiased person can shed new light on what both people are having issues with. The film moves slowly at times, but then again, the pace of life in Iceland is not exactly that of Queens, New York.
