Skip to main content

Glasgow Film Festival · 2012

Glasgow Film Festival 2012

I Hate Iceland

A diverse collection of short films from Iceland, showing in several separate programmes, plus four films made by Icelanders living in other countries.

Programme

16 films · 2 reviews

Jump to a film

2 Birds (Smáfuglar, Two Birds)

Review preview for 2 Birds

To make a film that is touchingly beautiful at the same time as dealing with very bad things is a remarkable achievement.

Amber Wilkinson · 4.5 out of 5
A group of teenagers experiment with ketamine and find themselves out of their depth.

(Country: Iceland; Year: 2008; Director: Rúnar Rúnarsson; Writer: Rúnar Rúnarsson; Stars: Atli Óskar Fjalarsson , Hera Hilmarsdóttir , Sigurður Jakob Helgason , Þórunn Jakobsdóttir) , Official site

Full review

Anna

Anna is trapped in isolation by her illness and strives to break free.

(Country: Iceland; Year: 2007; Director: Helena Stefansdottir)

Anna's Day

A single mother finds the events of a single day overwhelming her.

(Country: Denmark; Year: 2003; Director: Arni Olafur Asgeirsson)

Bad Apples

A schoolgirl is accused of arson and fraud.

(Country: Iceland; Year: 2010; Director: Hallur Om Arnasson)

Clean

A dance instructor struggles to finance her habit.

(Country: USA; Year: 2010; Director: Isold Uggadottir)

Come To Harm

Suspecting an intruder in his home, troubled Stefan tries to arm himself for conflict.

(Country: Iceland; Year: 2011; Director: Börkur Sigþórsson; Writer: Börkur Sigþórsson; Stars: Gisli Bjorn Runarsson, Björn Thors, Þrúður Vilhjálmsdóttir)

Family Reunion (Gódir gestir)

New York lesbian, Katrin, struggles to come out to her relatives back in Iceland, but revelations at a family reunion challenge all her assumptions.

(Country: Iceland; Year: 2006; Director: Isold Uggadottir; Writer: Isold Uggadottir; Stars: Aðalbjörg Árnadóttir, Grétar Snær Hjartarson, Theódór Júlíusson, Hanna María Karlsdóttir, Amy Lewis, Unnur Ösp Stefánsdóttir, Stefán Hallur Stefánsson)

Farmer John's World

A film version of a 19th century farmer's encyclopaedic observational artworks.

(Country: Iceland; Year: 2004; Director: Una Lorenzen)

Guilt

A man is forced to ask himself some serious questions after losing his young mistress.

(Country: UK; Year: 2011; Director: Hákon Pálsson; Writer: Hákon Pálsson; Stars: Dan Richardson, Julian Lee, Saskia Laroque Rothstein-Longaretti, Helen-Marie O'Malley)

The Last Farm (Síðasti bærinn)

Review preview for The Last Farm

Sigurbjörnsson does excellent work in between the lines of the script and Rúnarsson gives him plenty of space, so that not a single moment of the 17 here feels hurried.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
An ageing farmer is determined to do things his own way.

(Country: Iceland; Year: 2004; Director: Runar Runarsson; Writer: Rúnar Rúnarsson; Stars: Jón Sigurbjörnsson, Kristjana Vagnsdottir, Kjartan Bjargmundsson, Arnheiður Steinþórsdóttir, Ólafía Hrönn Jónsdóttir, Sigurður Skúlason, Jón Sigurbjörnsson, Kristjana Vagnsdottir, Kjartan Bjargmundsson, Arnheiður Steinþórsdóttir, Ólafía Hrönn Jónsdóttir, Sigurður Skúlason)

Full review

Lost Weekend

The story of a stranded DJ.

(Country: Denmark; Year: 1999; Director: Dagur Kari)

The Man On The Back

Two strangers meet in an isolated place.

(Country: Iceland; Year: 2004; Director: Jon Gnarr)

The Nail

Inside every man is an animal... it takes only an accident to release it.

(Country: Iceland; Year: 2009; Director: Benedikt Erlingsson; Stars: Þorsteinn Gunnarsson)

Paradox: Iceland Focus 2

In 1967 two young men set out to make a short film. The film was never finished, but the experience kept haunting one of the actors in the film. Many years later he hired a composer and an editor from a younger generation to finish what had been started over forty years earlier. But could the differing notions of two generations be resolved? Or would the aesthetic gap be too wide? Paradox restores to life unique and forgotten footage shot at a time when short films were almost unheard of in Iceland. The film raises questions about time, generational conflict and the fragility of a creative process.

(Country: Iceland; Year: 2011; Director: Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson, Sigurður Skúlason)

The Wild One

An office clerk tries to lose himself.

(Country: Iceland; Year: 2009; Director: Hakon Palsson)

The Wrestling

A love story about two gay wrestlers living in rural Iceland who must keep their relationship a secret from the inner world of Iceland's national and very macho sport.

(Country: Iceland; Year: 2007; Director: Grimur Hakonarson; Writer: Grimur Hakonarson; Stars: Halldor Gylfason, Bjorn Ingi Hilmarsson, Helga Braga Jonsdottir, Maria Gudmundsdottir)