Heartstone

Hjartasteinn (Heartstone) Iceland, Viewed at 2016 Venice Film Festival Director Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson, 34, Debut film. It's been a while since the films of Friðrik Þór Friðriksson put Iceland on the Cinema map in the eighties and nineties. This epic scale coming of age drama set in a remote fishing village far from the capital Reykjavik looks like the start of a new Icelandic wave. Fresh energy and a keen re-observing of what it's like to be a teenager on the verge of puberty, even dabbling a bit in homosexuality, makes this coming of age story something else. Against a magnificent backdrop of sea and mountains Guðmundur follows the entanglements of two simple outback families and their kids.

The film centers mainly on Thor, a sensitive twelve year old boy and his slightly older, taller, buddy Kristján who is probably gay, but also on their rough friendship with a couple of teenage girls and their problems with rough hewn parents. The performances of the two boys is astounding and Guðmundur's direction is totally assured. Given the setting this is a one of a kind new film experience on a set of old themes. Bravo! The two teenage actors, Baldur Einsasson (Thor) and Blær Hinriksson, (Kristján) are both talents to watch for in upcoming films from the Land of Geysers.

Seen at the Film Fest Ghent 2016 (website: filmfestival.be/en). Despite earlier resolutions to never see coming-of-age movies again, I booked tickets for this one as it looked different, and it indeed was different too. Of course, the usual pubertal problems were not avoided, but did not stay in the foreground too much, thereby not overwhelming the real issues this movie was about, as outlined in the IMDb synopsis, plus some other interesting topics as an extra freebie.

The total running time of over 2 hours is well spent, and is really needed to explore the relevant topics and the insides of the main protagonists. Part of the time is devoted to related problems in the environment of the two young men. One example is Thor's divorced mother, also Christian's parents as a second example, each with their own set of problems. All this combines nicely together in the main story line, taking care of a welcome deviation from the central theme that some may consider not heavy enough to stand on its own feet. Thor's sister as well as the two young women who are the obvious candidate partners for Thor and Christian, have their own useful role, yet are a bit sidelined in the overall story.

All in all, it is obvious that Thor and Christian are the main protagonists, who succeed very well in carrying the full story from A to Z. Apart from aforementioned threesome girls (Thorn's sister plus two) being portrayed a bit too stereotypical, the rest of the cast performs very well in their respective roles, be it large or small. All of them act believably and none are cardboard characters. And finally, can we deem Island's nature to be an additional protagonist, perfectly casted and playing very naturally??

This film tells the story of two young boys, who are experiencing and exploring romantic feelings in their Icelandic summer.

Much of the first half of the film portrays violence, bullying and animal cruelty. The antisocial behaviors are quite shocking to me, as I have always imagined the idyllic Iceland to be a peaceful place with nice people. As the turbulence grows, the tension between the children increases. It is sad to see that Thor does not see what is blindingly obvious, and it takes a tragic event to wake him up. This story is a harsh coming of age film.

I loved the movie. It was incredible, the actings were great! I've watched it two times so far already. I'll buy it's dvd/bluray and watch it many more times. Very natural and realistic movie.. Unique! 👌🏼

Must watch! The movie just grips you from the start and does not let go. The acting is superp and the shots are beautiful. It portrays the harshness of the wilderness with the first feeling of the youth coming of age.