Virgin Mountain
| Virgin Mountain | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Dagur Kári |
| Produced by |
Baltasar Kormákur Agnes Johansen |
| Written by | Dagur Kári |
| Starring | Gunnar Jónsson |
| Music by | Slowblow |
| Cinematography | Rasmus Videbæk |
| Edited by |
Olivier Bugge Coutté Andri Steinn Guðjónsson Dagur Kári |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country |
Iceland Denmark |
| Language | Icelandic |
Virgin Mountain is a 2015 Icelandic drama film directed by Dagur Kári, starring Gunnar Jónsson and Ilmur Kristjánsdóttir. Its Icelandic title is Fúsi. The world premiere took place at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival, where the film was screened on 9 February 2015 in the Berlinale Special program. It was released in Icelandic cinemas on 20 March 2015.[1] It won the prizes for best narrative feature, actor and screenplay at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival.[2] The film won the 2015 Nordic Council Film Prize.
Plot
It tells the story of a man in his 40s who lives with his mother and works as ground staff at a nearby airport. He is involved in recreating battlefields on tabletop in his spare time including listening to radio and enjoying meals. On his 42nd birthday Fúsi gets a break from his daily routines when he is enrolled in a dance class. He falls in love, he responds to bullies, but his depressive girlfriend leaves him. He helps his ex-girlfriend to find happines by rebuilding a dump into a flower boutique shop. Fúsi at the edge of falling back to his routines decides to make changes for himself and takes a trip to Egypt.
Cast
- Gunnar Jónsson as Fúsi
- Ilmur Kristjánsdóttir as Sjöfn
- Sigurjón Kjartansson as Mörður
- Margrét Helga Jóhannsdóttir as Fjóla
- Franziska Una Dagsdóttir as Hera
- Arnar Jónsson as Rolf
- Þórir Sæmundsson as Elvar
Reception
Stephen Dalton wrote in The Hollywood Reporter: "Gunnar Jónsson is an unlikely leading man, but extremely watchable, his physical acting and weary voice conveys both inner torment and purity of heart. Kristjánsdóttir also radiates agreeably offbeat charm as Sjöfn, even if her hangdog angel character that aches for pity would be more at home in a country and western song than in contemporary Iceland. ... A lightweight portrait of a potentially heavy subject, Kári’s fourth feature is an effortlessly likeable addition to his body of work, but too sweet and gentle to leave much of a lasting impression."[3]
References
- ↑ "Virgin Mountain". Icelandic Films. Icelandic Film Centre. Retrieved 2015-07-02.
- ↑ Zeitchik, Steven (2015-04-23). "Tribeca 2015: Offbeat romance 'Virgin Mountain' lands top prizes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2015-07-02.
- ↑ Dalton, Stephen (2015-02-09). "Virgin Mountain: Berlin Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2015-07-02.