101 Reykjavík
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| 101 Reykjavík | |
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 DVD cover |
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| Directed by | Baltasar Kormákur |
| Produced by | Michael P. Aust Baltasar Kormákur Þorfinnur Ómarsson Ingvar Þórðarson |
| Written by | Hallgrímur Helgason (novel) Baltasar Kormákur |
| Starring | Victoria Abril Hilmir Snær Guðnason Hanna María Karlsdóttir |
| Music by | Damon Albarn Einar Örn Benediktsson |
| Cinematography | Peter Steuger |
| Editing by | Skule Eriksen Sigvaldi J. Kárason |
| Distributed by | 101 Limited |
| Release date(s) | June 1, 2000 |
| Running time | 88 mins |
| Country |  Iceland Denmark Norway France |
| Language | Icelandic, English |
| Gross revenue | $126,404 |
101 Reykjavík (
pronunciation (help·info)) is a 2000 film set in Reykjavík, Iceland based on a book of the same name by Hallgrímur Helgason. It was directed by Baltasar Kormákur and stars Victoria Abril and Hilmir Snær Guðnason. The name of the film is taken from the postal code for down-town Reykjavík, "the old city". The film won nine B-class film awards and received ten nominations most notably winning the Discovery Film Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.
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[edit] Plot
Geek Hlynur is approaching the grand old age of 30, he still lives with his mother, downloads cyberporn and wanders around Reykjavík half-heartedly searching for a job while spending lots of time in Kaffibarinn, the central Reykjavík bar which just happens to be owned by writer/director Baltasar Kormákur and his soundtrack composer Damon Albarn, a long-standing Icelandophile. The cramped, dark and oddly furnished house in which Hlynur and his mother live features a bath which transfigures into a sofa as Hlynur steps naked out of it, in the middle of the lounge with his mother watching.
Hlynur's isolated world — no small metaphor for his home country — is going along rather blissfully ignorant of the greater joys involved with engaging in life until his mother's friend Lola Milagros arrives to stay at the house for a while. Lola is a Spanish flamenco instructor with a seductive smile, a sultry voice and a carpe diem attitude. She is also in love with Hlynur's mom, Berglind. An enigmatic character, Lola quickly becomes the center of the household dynamic when, after a night of heavy drinking while mom is away, she and Hlynur sleep together. Hlynur is of course jealous of their relationship, realizing that he was simply a momentary fling for Lola, but he is also the dutiful son who wants to accept his mother's newfound lesbianism and be happy for her. Lola wants Hlynur to get out of the house and find himself something to do, not in a mean way, but because she recognizes from the start that that's what he needs most.
Hlynur prefers to pass the time in a true slacker fashion with plenty of excess and not an iota of effort. Hlynur sees no real future for himself, rather an entire life supported by the Icelandic welfare state. "It's a great system." he says. When asked what he does, Hlynur responds with, "Nothing." Pushed further with, "What kind of nothing?" he replies the only way he can: "A nothing kind of nothing." Not even death is a serious topic for Hlynur — intoxicating, out-all-night weekends inspire, "Each weekend I drop dead." He says this while lighting up a Lucky atop a snow-capped mountain, where he lies down as the snow gradually covers him up, but his plans are scuppered by rainfall melting his would-be tomb.
On the other hand, Hlynur's fantasy life is alive with passion and glimpses of his subconscious show us a deeply conflicted sense of self. Flashbacks of an alcoholic father mix with sexual fantasies of the lovely Lola but quickly reveal that mom's in bed, too. During a quick trip to the suburbs for a dinner with extended family, Hlynur, so comically disturbed by the mundane family ritual (they actually gather to watch a video of last year's family dinner), imagines a bloodbath scene killing everyone at close range with a shotgun. When brought back to reality, Hlynur's blank slate and effortless personality come back into the fore: "I was thinking what a nice couch you have," he explains to the previously slaughtered family.
The film progresses as Hlynur comes to terms with his mother's love for Lola and his own feelings of inadequacy with her. The announcement that Lola is pregnant pushes him to the brink, making living under the same roof next to impossible for all three, but after a lot of acting out and flippant commentary Hlynur begins to see life little differently. The infant's arrival also symbolically coincides neatly with Hlynur's homecoming to the world outside his bedroom and a newfound contentedness.
[edit] Cast
- Victoria Abril as Lola
- Hilmir Snær Guðnason as Hlynur
- Hanna María Karlsdóttir as Berglind
- Þrúður Vilhjálmsdóttir as Hófí
- Baltasar Kormákur as Þröstur
- Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as Marri
- Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson as Brúsi
- Eyvindur Erlendsson as Hafsteinn
- Halldóra Björnsdóttir as Elsa
- Hilmar Jonsson as Magnús
- Jóhann Sigurðarson as Páll
- Edda Heidrún Backman as Páll's wife
- Guðmundur Ingi Þorvaldsson as Ellert
- Gunnar Eyjólfsson as the neighbor
- Jónína Ólafsdóttir as woman at the employment office
[edit] Overview
Reykjavík is a scenic capital and provides a backdrop for the story to be played out against. Views of landmarks such as the controversial Hallgrímskirkja, the modern church which dominates Reykjavík's skyline and views of Iceland's principal shopping centre, Laugavegur, are shown as the sun sets.
However 101 Reykjavík is about a group of people rather than a city or a culture, so while the dramatic and often very stark landscape in and around the city feature greatly, they are less intrinsic to the plot as the escapades of the characters.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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