DISC D: Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson. Iceland/Denmark. 129 min. Sep 13, 5:15 pm, Scotiabank 4 Sep 15, 9:15 am, TIFF Bell Lightbox 4 Sep 16, 5:30 pm, Scotiabank 11. Rating: NNNN
Amidst the harsh landscape of a small Iceland village, pre-adolescent buddies Thor (Baldur Einarsson) and Christian (Blær Hinriksson) find their friendship changing because of a pair of girls.
First-time feature director Guðmundsson subtly draws us into the boys’ lives, letting us glimpse their difficult home environments and planting clues as to where this coming-of-ager is heading.
The result, while a little long, is gorgeous to look at and always dramatically absorbing. Guðmundsson’s direction of the kids is especially strong parts of the film feel so authentic, they could be parts of a documentary. And the landscape, full of inherent danger and unpredictability, is like a character itself.
