Black's Game (Svartur á leik)

BLACK’S GAME (Svartur á leik)                    B                     

Iceland  (88 mi) or (104 mi)  2011  ‘Scope  d:  Óskar Thór Axelsson

Showing the direct influence of director Nicolas Winding Refn as executive producer, this is a film that plays it fast and loose, where the stylistic aggression pulsates a manic energy throughout the film, targeting a youth-driven market.  Initially this in-your-face style is offbeat and humorous, where the edgy subject matter, an exposé of the underworld drug scene in Iceland, draws you into this initially intriguing story.  And who can not love shots of Reykjavik in the snow, with wintry mountains looming off in the distance?  For some, this is as close as we’ll ever get there, so we may as well enjoy the ride.  The thrilling opening is a drug induced adrenal blast, a speed-laced montage of the last moments of consciousness before passing out, where the narrator acerbically reminds us that back in the 90’s, “This shit actually happened.”  In the immediate aftermath, the character Stebbi (Thor Kristjansson) remembers nothing, which unfortunately is what information he has to report to the police in explaining his violent actions of the night before.  As he steps outside the police station, he runs into an old neighborhood friend, now a full-fledged dope dealer and gangster, Tóti (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson), recognizable by his bulky physique and array of tattoos.  Tóti immediately has a job for him, with the alluring promise that his own  personal lawyer will get him off all charges if he’ll pull off this request, which is to search an apartment that’s already been scoured by the cops for something stashed in a secret hiding place.  In a zany glimpse of his search, with moments of fast-paced photography, Stebbi finds what he’s looking for, but immediately encounters a surprise visit by a gargantuan sized thug carrying weapons, where a blitz of changing speeds is reduced to slow motion, where Stebbi is beating the crap out of the guy with a baseball bat and would have killed him if Tóti had not intervened, checking him out with a smile, calling him Stebbi Psycho. 

Apparently passing the test, Stebbi is invited into the gang, paid a handsome salary, where he is also given free access to huge amounts of drugs that they distribute, but also use on a regular basis to party hard, where he is also introduced to Dagný, María Birta, a voluptuous blond coke head who has the run of the place.  His entry into this criminal underworld is a thrill ride, an action packed movie featuring a battle of wills with rival gangs competing for the same turf, where violent mayhem pretty much describes the mood, where Tóti and Stebbi Psycho simply get more crazy and fucked up than the other guys, revealing the makings of a drug trafficking network that is only expanding.  Shot in ‘Scope by Bergsteinn Björgúlfsson, the film mixes in gorgeous wintry landscapes with slow motion, quick cuts, and the use of split screen to dramatize something that is a part of Reykjavik history, as small time operators were quickly moved out by a more organized criminal element, where drugs were literally pouring into the city, becoming a coke-fused wonderland.  When they join forces with a psychotic gangster from Amsterdam, Bruno (Damon Younger), he literally brutalizes everyone to demonstrate who’s in charge, much like a biker gang leader might do, changing the tone of the film to something more graphically violent and disturbing.  The complexity of their operation becomes so complicated that one could only expect things would eventually spiral out of control.  The descent is as quick as the rise, where Stebbi witnesses it all first hand, just a player in a game he can barely comprehend.  Tóti, especially, is a likeable hard ass, as the guy loves to party and share the wealth, but Bruno is something else entirely, as he’s a head case.  All this leaves Stebbi wondering how to make his way out, but there’s too many roads leading him back in, turning much of this film into a blur of fast-paced action, with a non-stop musical soundtrack, impressive for a first-time feature filmmaker, turning our lead anti-hero into a guy living in a perpetual wasteland of neverending parties and drug operations, becoming the 2nd highest grossing Icelandic movie in history. 

Volcano (Eldfjall)

VOLCANO (Eldfjall)               B                     

Iceland  Denmark  (99 mi)  2011  d:  Rúnar Rúnarsson

This is sort of an Icelandic variation on the King Lear theme, suggesting retirement’s not always what it’s cut out to be, featuring a mammoth performance by Theódór Júlíusson as Hannes who is retiring after 37 years with the local school, where his no nonsense answer to what he would do in his spare time is that he would grow old and die.  Shot in a seaside location off the rugged coast of Reykjavik, the film opens in a prelude of displacement, highlighted by an actual volcanic blast destroying another seaside village on Vestmann Island, when the Eldfell volcano erupted in 1973, forcing an evacuation of the entire island to mainland Iceland for several months.  As Hannes and his wife soon found jobs in Reykjavik following the evacuation, they never returned to their homeland, raising a family instead in their small home, which is the site of nearly the entire film.  This is not an easy picture of happy family harmony, as Hannes is disgusted by the presence of his family, as his own children are economically successful, but are the picture of ingratitude, where he feels uncomfortable when they visit, which is largely to visit their more open hearted mother Anna (Margrét Helga Jóhannsdóttir).  Hannes is of the view that a man who shows feelings is exhibiting the characteristics of a girl, an old-fashioned, misogynistic view that doesn’t set well with the others, as the man routinely rails against the imperfect world around him, which is so overwhelmingly demonstrated that it actually shows a bit of humorous Icelandic character, as his criticisms exhibit a bit of wit and even local charm, something that would go over well in the pubs.    

There is a brief view of Hannes taking a drive out into the magnificent interior of Iceland, surrounded by jagged peaks, where he grows annoyed and frustrated at himself, apparently for not having the will to stick a hose into his mouth from his exhaust pipe.  Shortly afterwards, we see him make daily excursions out to sea in his beat up old boat, bringing back enormous-sized fish at night.  On one occasion, however, the boat springs a leak offshore, too far away from land to swim.  Initially he starts bailing the water furiously, but then slows down to a stop and instead amusingly pulls out a cigarette, as if this is his last request on earth, where he pulls deep drags from the smoke with water up to his knees before frantically starting to bail water again.  We later see his boat being towed by a rescue team while he and another are continuing to rapidly bail water to stay afloat.  The boat is eventually towed to his back yard where it sits collecting dust. But upon his return home that night, pulling off his wet clothes, he overhears his son and daughter’s assessment of his wretched and pitiful display of inhumanity, where they wonder why their mother puts up with it, as she’s usually the target of his miserablism, both wishing she’d just up and leave him once and for all.  Anna, being the more self-sacrificing, has apparently never uttered a word of discontent.  Hannes, however, sees this as an opportunity for redemption, for a second chance at life, even in this late stage.  Ironically, seemingly happy, just after enjoying her favorite meal, she suffers a debilitating stroke, leaving her nearly entirely brain dead with a slim to none chance of recovery.       

The tone of the film changes at this point, as the mix of ribald Icelandic humor has been a constant delight, easily the best thing in the film, where this man’s misanthropic attitude is hilarious, especially taken to the degree that he does, where just about everything pisses him off.  But with his wife’s illness, he tempers the worldly wrath and decides he can bring her back home and take care of her himself with the assistance of daily visits from a nurse.  Caring for an invalid is no easy task, but Hannes is driven to do the best he can for her, while his two children conspire against his wishes to have him removed from her presence once and for all and have her sent to a nursing home, as they simply loathe the man.  Hannes surprises even himself in learning to lovingly look after his wife, but continues to exhibit rather indifferent feelings towards his own children.  When they come to the house to visit their mom, however, he does enjoy spending time with his grandson Kári (Ágúst Örn B. Wigum) rebuilding his boat, which is hard work, claiming his efforts will make him a co-owner, as the boat has been passed down through generations.  This cyclical theme is accentuated by images of stark loneliness, suicide idealizations, a loving family member lying helpless in a coma, meddling children, and the natural beauty of the blustery sea which foretells the tragedy and fortitude needed to survive in this harsh and unyielding world, winner of the 2nd Prize in the New Directors Competition at the Chicago Film Festival, “a film that triggers a deep emotional response that has nothing to do with sentimentality. It juxtaposes domestic space with the dramatic Icelandic landscape to riveting effect. Not just another film about redemption, Rúnar Rúnarsson's debut depicts the moral ambiguity of the choices facing a complex, older man.”