Some films are heart-warming and life-affirming, Northern Comfort isn't either, nor is it a comedy, in the sense that I didn't laugh at all whilst watching it.
I can sense what the creators were aiming at, an offbeat stab at the anxieties, atomisation and general perversity and shallowness of modern life, centred around fear of flying but attempting to tackle some deeper issues. It may have worked better as a straight up drama, or with the insertion of some actual jokes - an effective satire.
Timothy Spall is usually decent and he isn't bad here, just underused. The cinematography is fine and the central performance of Lydia Leonard is rather good.
None of the characters really connect with one another (which might be intentional) and there is a sense of loneliness pervading the whole thing, enhanced by the cold and harsh Icelandic environment. The plot takes some turns into weird territory, but not really weird enough to make a real statement. There were opportunities for some physical comedy, but these were overlooked (perhaps, the makers felt actual humour would be too crass?).
'Jokes' revolve around random men showing pics of their genitals as a seduction attempt; a random hook-up between two men which might be a desperate career move, a coming out revelation or both; a social media 'influencer' who describes her career as 'travelling the world and taking pictures of my bum' and a taxi driver driving whilst drunk. Oh, and one of the characters has a silly haircut.
If any of that sounds promising to you then maybe this will appeal.
As a final side note, I wonder whether this is the type of slightly disturbing and dissatisfying product that AI, raised entirely on a diet of social media and the internet, will create in the future?
