Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
explores sex, drugs and the life of a loafer in downtown Reykjavík. Kormákur's
Jar City
(2006) stars the ever-watchable Ingvar E Sigurðsson as Iceland's favourite detective, In-
spector Erlendur, from the novels by Arnaldur Indriðason. Kormákur's 2012 film,
The
Deep
, was a hit, and in 2013 he launched into Hollywood life with
2 Guns,
starring Denzel
Washington and Mark Wahlberg, and
Everest
(2015) starring Keira Knightley, Robin
Wright and Jake Gyllenhaal.
Dagur Kári is another Icelandic director who has achieved international success. His
films include
Nói Albinói
(2003), about a restless adolescent in a snowed-in northern fjord
town, and the English-language
The Good Heart
(2009), which received a standing ova-
tion at its premiere at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. Also look out for Hil-
mar Oddsson's
Kaldaljós
(Cold Light; 2004), a slow-moving, poignant film about life in
an isolated fjord town, with a stunning performance from the little boy on whom it centres.
Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson's first feature film
Either Way
(2011)
,
about two road
workers painting stripes on the highway, was remade in the US by David Gordon Green as
Prince Avalanche
(2013). His
Paris of the North
(2014) is a father-son comedy-drama set
in remote east Iceland and was a hit at film festivals.
Benedikt Erlingsson's 2013
Of Horses and Men
was an indie sensation for its surreal
portrait of the intertwining lives of men and horses, from the horses' perspective. It was
nominated as Iceland's entry to the Academy Awards. Erlingsson is also an actor, and had
a role in Rúnar Rúnarsson's 2011
Volcano
(Eldfjall), about an aging couple who evacuated
the Vestmannaeyjar islands during the eruption of Eldfjall, and how they reconcile illness
with family.
The quirky 2012 documentary
The Final Member
details the bizarre quest for a
homo
sapiens
penis for the Icelandic Phallological Museum in Reykjavík.
Painting & Sculpture
Many of Iceland's most successful artists have studied abroad before returning home to
wrestle with Iceland's enigmatic soul. The result is a European-influenced style, but with
Icelandic landscapes and saga-related scenes as key subjects. Refreshingly, you'll find mu-
seums stocked with wonderful works by men and women alike.
The first great Icelandic landscape painter was the prolific Ásgrímur Jónsson
(1876-1958), who produced a startling number of Impressionistic oils and watercolours
depicting Icelandic landscapes and folk tales. You can see his work at the National Gallery
in Reykjavík.
