101 Reykjavík

I have been living in Iceland for a year and a half and got a picture of the country, its people and its capital, Reykjavík (I actually even lived in the 101 postal code in Reykjavík). This movie is really highlighting a type of persons that I have met quite often in Iceland. I think it is a clear and accurate picture of an important part of the young population. The main actor, Hilmir Snær Guðnason (Hlynur), is really expressing this disillusion that you can feel while enjoying Reykjavík's night life. If you want to go to this marvelous country or if you just interested how one can survived after a few months winter night, this is the movie to go watching. But do not worry, there is more than that in Iceland.

101 Reykjavik blowed my mind off when I saw it. Mine, who's lived in Iceland, spent (too!) much time in 101 Reykjavik and seen it all. It's so real that it's a bit scary; life really can be like that in Reykjavik. I'd recommend this film to someone who's interested in the Icelandic way of living and doesn't get shocked too easily! To make the experience deeper and fuller, also read the book! It's shockingly thick but worth every word in it.

Others have rehearsed the plot so here are some general comments.

The best thing about this film is Victoria Abril who is not so much a woman as a force of nature. I must admit I've not seen any of her work with Almodovar, but I was surprised to learn from the DVD filmography that she's been working in European cinema since as long ago as Richard Lester's 1976 "Robin and Marian". She was 40 when this film was made, so hardly a 'toygirl' for the fiftyish mother (although quite a catch, it must be said).

I guess Lola was changed from an Icelandic character to Spanish to draw in the European art-house audience but it's still a decision which works well as she personifies an outside force which arrives and turns Hlynar's world upside down.

The film feels very much like the novel adaptation it is - quite a lot of voice-over and exposition - but there are a number of deadpan cinematic jokes of the Kaurismaki variety, combined with sexual outrageousness in the Almodovar vein. Some of the humour only becomes apparent on repeated viewings; in all the fusion of styles works surprisingly well.

Overall, this probably won't change your life but it's a lot of fun.

Iceland is a strange country, isolated from the rest of the world and with a strong sense of its traditional identity; but also affluent, liberal and with a reputation for hedonism. '101 Reykjavik', named after a district of its capital city famed for its nightclubs, takes a wry and jaundiced look at that society, viewing it through the perspective of Hlynur, a depressed, childish and insular young man living at home with his mother. Hlynur seems a very Icelandic sort of anti-hero, and the link between the nature of the characters and their place of abode gives this quirky comedy a distinctive and authentic feel, although it seems slightly surprising how much female attention the socially defective Hylnur is able to attract. There are more sophisticated movies out there, but '101 Rekjavik' is always entertaining and certainly worth watching, especially to anyone who's wondered what it really must be like to live in such a peculiar outpost of the western world.

There are no new horizons in this film. Yes, there are quite a few perhaps talented young fellows who have a difficulty to adapt to mature life, to get a job, to get a stable relationship, financial independence. Haven't you known that already? But there is a novelty: a middle-aged mum comes out of the closet and declares her lesbian preference. Hang on, though: could you imagine a dad coming out of the closet? Probably yes, but then the emphasis of the film would have been very different. I mean, I'm somewhat suspicious about this lesbian line: isn't it just another sexy (literally and figuratively speaking), saucy attraction added to the film, for its own sake? Hardly anyone, presumably, would be curious to watch middle-aged or old men engaged in gay sex. Not so with women. Likewise, I've never been to Reykjavik, but I'm stunned to discover the apparently large number of lesbian or bi-sexual girls in its pubs. The asymmetry with homosexual men is obvious. So I have my doubts about this film's realism, or more exactly, its cynical exploitation of basic instincts. The film pretends to be a comedy. But it fails. As far as I'm concerned, there's just one genuinely funny moment---the scene with the parking inspector. All the rest are only *supposed* to be funny. A positive moment, however, is that they are not tasteless still. If it's a failed comedy, does it deliver a message? Hardly. Except possibly one: Hlynur eventually finds the job. That could be a serious message, if Hlynur were described as a rebel at the beginning. Which he isn't. Hence the film doesn't aspire to be anything but a comedy, and in that department it fails, I believe.

Now, you might think that such a mediocre film should have poor acting. You are wrong! Oddly enough, the acting is of very good quality. Guonason is perfect, entirely natural, and other leading actors are quite decent. I'm no great fan of Victoria Abril, but she does a good job too. To sum up: watch this film after a busy day and go to bed. Rating: 6.5.