Kvikmyndapod: An Icelandic Cinema Podcast

Gnarr (2010)

Halló!

This week, Rob and Ellie return to Reykjavik and to the documentary format for Gaukur Úlfarsson's 'Gnarr', a film in which famous Icelandic comedian Jón Gnarr sets up a satirical political party and runs for Mayor of Reykjavík!

Over the course of four months Gnarr transforms from joke candidate to favourite, and his outlook and intentions change too...

The film can be found at dafilms.com.

 

Please subscribe/follow, rate and review on Spotify and Apple

and

Follow us on Twitter @KVIKMYNDAPOD

and Instagram kvikmyndapod

And if you fancy supporting us, why not sling us the cost of a coffee!

 

Artwork designed by Sophie Watts (justahappyspace)

 

Music by Branches Bare

('Half-light' from the EP 'In the Origami Folds of the Night You Rip the Seam of Sleep Wide Open)

Godland (2022) aka Vanskabte Land aka Volaða Land - London Film Festival Special

Halló!

In this week's minisode Rob and Ellie journey, via Denmark, to the south east of Iceland, by way of the BFI London Film Festival!

In a non-spoiler discussion, they chat about the one Icelandic movie that was shown as part of the festival in 2022. One of only eight films in Official Competition!

 

GODLAND

Directed by Hlynur Pálmason

Written by Hlynur Pálmason

Starring Elliott Crosset Hove, Ingvar Sigurðsson, Vic Carmen Sonne, Ída Mekkín Hlynsdóttir and Jacob Lohmann

 

Please subscribe, rate and review

and

Follow us on Twitter @KVIKMYNDAPOD

and Instagram kvikmyndapod

 

Artwork designed by Sophie Watts (justahappyspace)

 

Music by Branches Bare

('Half-light' from the EP 'In the Origami Folds of the Night You Rip the Seam of Sleep Wide Open)

B-Movie Horror Mash-Up feat. Thirst (2019) aka Þorsti and It Hatched (2021)

Halló!

And Happy Halloween!

To celebrate spooky season, Rob and Ellie bring together two recent Icelandic B-Movie horror-comedies.

First up is Elvar Gunnarsson’s trippy 'It Hatched' in which a baby is born from an egg laid by a human woman in a guesthouse in a remote fjord. If that doesn't sounds bonkers, then the rest of the film will do the convincing!

This is followed by comedy troupe Leikhópurinn X's 'Thirst’ or Þorsti from 2019, a film about a 1,000 year-old gay vampire and his unlikely friendship with a recovering drug user. It features buckets of blood and the most gore of any Icelandic film covered on the pod so far; probably of any Icelandic movie in fact!

So grab some beers and popcorn, get together with some mates, and settle in for a riotous B-movie double bill and then hear what Rob and Ellie have to say about these unique horror movies!

And keep your eyes peeled for Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir!

 

 

Please subscribe/follow, rate and review on Spotify and Apple

and

Follow us on Twitter @KVIKMYNDAPOD

and Instagram kvikmyndapod

And if you fancy supporting us, why not sling us the cost of a coffee!

 

Artwork designed by Sophie Watts (justahappyspace)

 

Music by Branches Bare

('Half-light' from the EP 'In the Origami Folds of the Night You Rip the Seam of Sleep Wide Open)

The County (2019) aka Héraðið

Halló!

Week two finds Rob and Ellie heading a third of the way round the country, from the south towards the Westfjords, for 'Rams' director Grímur Hákonarson's second feature film 'The County'.

Arndís Hrönn Egilsdóttir plays Inga, one half of a farming couple left to fight a local farming co-op for their bullying and shady keep-it-in-the-community tactics.

With true life story elements, calm and incredibly composed cinematography from Mart Taniel, and a complex central performance from Egilsdóttir, this is not just a rehash of elements seen before on the pod, but a fascinating look at how small communities may deal with the changing face of farming and commerce in Iceland.

Also starring Sveinn Ólafur Gunnarsson, Sigurður Sigurjónsson, Þorsteinn Bachmann and Hannes Óli Ágústsson.

Music by Valgeir Sigurðsson

 

Please subscribe/follow, rate and review on Spotify and Apple

and

Follow us on Twitter @KVIKMYNDAPOD

and Instagram kvikmyndapod

And if you fancy supporting us, why not sling us the cost of a coffee!

 

Artwork designed by Sophie Watts (justahappyspace)

 

Music by Branches Bare

('Half-light' from the EP 'In the Origami Folds of the Night You Rip the Seam of Sleep Wide Open)

The Deep (2012) aka Djupið

Halló!

Rob and Ellie reconvene for a fourth go around the cinema of Iceland!

This week it's a return to the work of Baltasar Kormákur and his 2012 drama, based on real-life events, The Deep.

Ólafur Darri Ólafsson plays Gulli, a fisherman living on the island of Heimaey in the south of Iceland, whose boat capsizes. What happens next is a remarkable story of survival.

With some absolutely beautiful cinematography and great performances from the likes of Björn Thors, Jóhann G. Jóhannsson and Thora Bjorg Helga, this is an intriguing disaster drama.

 

Please subscribe/follow, rate and review on Spotify and Apple

and

Follow us on Twitter @KVIKMYNDAPOD

and Instagram kvikmyndapod

And if you fancy supporting us, why not sling us the cost of a coffee!

 

Artwork designed by Sophie Watts (justahappyspace)

 

Music by Branches Bare

('Half-light' from the EP 'In the Origami Folds of the Night You Rip the Seam of Sleep Wide Open)

NEST (2022) and Interview with Director Hlynur Pálmason

Halló!

Rob and Ellie return with a special episode all about something brand new and available to watch in the UK right now!

Director of 'A White, White Day', Hlynur Pálmason recently gave us a new short film titled 'NEST' (available on MUBI) about the building of a treehouse over the course of 18 months, and the daily interactions that his kids have with it.

For a 22-minute film this packs in all the emotion and is absolutely stunning to look at.

The first half of the podcast is a fascinating conversation with Hlynur himself, while in the second half Rob and Ellie discuss the film in detail.

If you haven't already, you can get a free 30-day trial of MUBI at www.mubi.com/kvikmyndapod.

The next series of the podcast will arrive later this year, so keep your eyes peeled!

 

Please subscribe/follow, rate and review on Spotify and Apple

and

Follow us on Twitter @KVIKMYNDAPOD

and Instagram kvikmyndapod

And if you fancy supporting us, why not sling us the cost of a coffee!

 

Artwork designed by Sophie Watts (justahappyspace)

 

Music by Branches Bare

('Half-light' from the EP 'In the Origami Folds of the Night You Rip the Seam of Sleep Wide Open)

Heartstone (2016) aka Hjartasteinn

Halló!

And so another journey through the cinema of Iceland ends. For this final episode of series three, Rob and Ellie discuss the beautiful 'Heartstone' from 2016.

Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson's debut feature is a coming-of-age drama set in the remote east of the country near the fishing village of Seyðisfjörður. Best friends Þór and Kristján negotiate their teenage emotions and sexual urges as one sets his sights on local girl Beta and the other on his best mate...

Sadly we end with a film that does not star Ingvar Sigurðsson, but the teen actors are all phenomenal (led by Baldur Einarsson and Blær Hinriksson) and some fantastic familiar faces complete the adult cast; Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir, Søren Malling and Sveinn Ólafur Gunnarsson.

Rob and Ellie will return...but in the meantime join us on social media and keep your eyes on your podcast feeds!

Thanks to all our listeners, new and old, for an amazing first year as a podcast!

 

Please subscribe/follow, rate and review on Spotify and Apple

and

Follow us on Twitter @KVIKMYNDAPOD

and Instagram kvikmyndapod

And if you fancy supporting us, why not sling us the cost of a coffee!

 

Artwork designed by Sophie Watts (justahappyspace)

 

Music by Branches Bare

('Half-light' from the EP 'In the Origami Folds of the Night You Rip the Seam of Sleep Wide Open)

Metalhead (2013) aka Málmhaus

Halló!

It's the penultimate week of Rob and Ellie's third journey round Iceland and this time they're in Svarthamar in the Westfjords for a rural tale of grief and a unique way of dealing with it - Metal music!

Director Ragnar Bragason's 'Metalhead' stars Thora Bjorg Helga as Hera, a young lady who witnesses her brother's death and finds solace in the music of the bands he loved - Judas Priest, Megadeth, Teaze etc.

With a soundtrack unlike any heard before on the podcast, these unusual elements come together brilliantly as Hera and her parents finally find a way through their guilt and grief. 

Also starring Ingvar Sigurðsson, Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir and Sveinn Ólafur Gunnarsson.

 

Please subscribe/follow, rate and review on Spotify and Apple

and

Follow us on Twitter @KVIKMYNDAPOD

and Instagram kvikmyndapod

And if you fancy supporting us, why not sling us the cost of a coffee!

 

Artwork designed by Sophie Watts (justahappyspace)

 

Music by Branches Bare

('Half-light' from the EP 'In the Origami Folds of the Night You Rip the Seam of Sleep Wide Open)

Of Horses And Men (2013) aka Hross í oss

Halló!

Having seen plenty of sheep over the course of this podcast, it's the turn of the great Icelandic horse this week, as Rob and Ellie travel out into the wilds once again for a darkly comic tale of love, death, and the relationship between man and beast.

Director Benedikt Erlingsson's feature debut 'Of Horses and Men' is a series of beautifully shot interconnected vignettes that demonstrate just how integral horses are to rural Icelandic life.

Ingvar Sigurðsson provides the central performance as a man completely in love with his new mare, for whom things don't quite work out. What follows includes horses swimming for alcohol, tractor chases and a surprising amount of death, both human and animal.

This is by turns fun, funny and tragic. But ultimately triumphant.

 

Next week's film, 'Metalhead, can be found on PantaFlix, the Sky Store or for free here.

 

Please subscribe/follow, rate and review on Spotify and Apple

and

Follow us on Twitter @KVIKMYNDAPOD

and Instagram kvikmyndapod

And if you fancy supporting us, why not sling us the cost of a coffee!

 

Artwork designed by Sophie Watts (justahappyspace)

 

Music by Branches Bare

('Half-light' from the EP 'In the Origami Folds of the Night You Rip the Seam of Sleep Wide Open)

Reykjavik-Rotterdam (2008)

Halló!

Week three of series three finds Rob and Ellie almost back on terra firma in Iceland - with just a little trip to the Netherlands to score some booze!

One of the more mainstream, 'Hollywood' efforts to come out of Iceland in the 2000s, Óskar Jónasson's 'Reykjavik-Rotterdam' re-teams Baltasar Kormákur with Ingvar Sigurðsson and Arnaldur Indriðason for a sort-of heist thriller about a former criminal doing ONE LAST JOB!

With a bunch of familiar faces (including Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson and Ólafur Darri Ólafsson), plenty of tension and some very funny moments, it's no wonder this was remade in the US with Mark Wahlberg.

Grab the popcorn and enjoy!

 

And don't forget to check out Magnús Jónsson's TAKA 5.

 

Please subscribe/follow, rate and review on Spotify and Apple

and

Follow us on Twitter @KVIKMYNDAPOD

and Instagram kvikmyndapod

And if you fancy supporting us, why not sling us the cost of a coffee!

 

Artwork designed by Sophie Watts (justahappyspace)

 

Music by Branches Bare

('Half-light' from the EP 'In the Origami Folds of the Night You Rip the Seam of Sleep Wide Open)