Hilmir Snær Gudnason Movies

A handful of idealistic twenty-somethings discover love and trust isn't always enough in this period drama from writer and director Gudny Halldorsdottir. It's the early Seventies, and law student Selma (Tinna Hrafnsdottir) wants to do more than simply defend people in court; she's eager to make a difference in the lives of others, and when her boyfriend Bloffi (Hilmir Snaer Gudnason) joins the staff of Vedramot, a home for delinquent teenagers with emotional issues, she leaves school to work beside him. Selma, Bloffi and their friends believe that an open environment where the young inmates have the opportunity to discuss their feelings and the circumstances that led them into a life of crime will do more good than traditional disciplinary techniques. However, not all the youngsters at Vedramot respond to this laid-back approach, and Disa (Hera Hilmarsdottir), a product of a severely abusive home, openly encourages the other teens to flout the few rules they're asked to follow. In time, conflicts between the staff and the students escalate into violence, leading to tragedy and bloodshed. Vedramot (aka The Quiet Storm) was inspired in part by Halldorsdottir's own experiences working at a home for underage offenders in the Seventies. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Agust Gudmundsson's Mavahlatur (The Seagull's Laughter) is a comedy/drama about a woman who comes to an Icelandic town. Freja (Margret Vilhjalmsdottir) arrives in the town claiming that her husband has passed away. She moves in with some extended family members, including her eleven year-old cousin Agga (Ugla Egilsdottir). Freyja rekindles a romance with the financially secure Bjorm (Heino Ferch), and manipulates him into a relationship. Bjorn's mother turns out to be more than Freyja could handle. The Seagull's Laughter competed at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

A slacker finds himself dealing with girl trouble he never knew existed in this offbeat comedy set in Iceland. Hlynur (Hilmir Snær Gudnason) is a 28-year-old layabout who lives with his mother, Berglind (Hanna María Karlsdóttir), in a run-down section of Reykjavík. Though he doesn't have a job, Hlynur makes enough off the dole to spend his evenings drinking beer, and has a girlfriend, Hofi (Thrúdur Vilhjálmdóttir), who regards his lack of ambition with a mildly annoyed tolerance. Berglind decides to take in a boarder, Lola Milagros (Victoria Abril), a lovely young woman from Spain who gives dance lessons. Hlynur is instantly captivated with Lola and begins making a play for her, even though she's an open and unapologetic lesbian. In the midst of a drunken New Year's Eve party, Hlynur wears down Lola's resistance, and the two ring in the new year having sex. Lola soon discovers she's pregnant, but Hlynur is startled to learn that Lola and Berglind are now lovers and they intend to raise the child together -- meaning he's not only competing with his mother for the same woman, but that his child will be brought up as his sibling. As if this weren't enough, Hlynur soon learns that Hofi is also carrying his child. 101 Reykjavík was the debut feature from writer/director Baltasar Kormákur, and received an enthusiastic reception at the 2000 Locarno Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A family reunion staged to welcome an exiled relation turns out to be a study in tension and unpleasant feelings in this family drama. Thórdur (Gunnar Eyjólfsson) is the aging owner of a fishing business that has seen better days. Working alongside Thórdur is his oldest son, Haraldur (Sigurdur Skúlason), who is convinced the business is doomed unless they upgrade and update their equipment. Haraldur also has to deal with his outspoken wife, Áslaug (Elva Ósk Ólafsdóttir), who is convinced that both the business and their small Icelandic town are on their last legs. Meanwhile, Thórdur shares his home with Kristín (Kristbjorg Kjeld), who went from being his sister-in-law to his second wife; her daughter María (Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir); Thórdur's daughter, Ragnheidur (Gudrún Gísladóttir); her husband Morten (Sven Nordin); and Thórdur's often cranky mother, Kata (Herdís Thorvaldsdóttir). In the midst of all this family tension arrives Ágúst (Hilmir Snær Gudnason), Thórdur's youngest son, with his girlfriend Françoise (Hélène de Fougerolles) in tow. Ágúst has moved to Paris, where Thórdur has been helping his son pay for business school; however, Thórdur isn't aware that his son has quit school and wants to make a career for himself as a musician. Ágúst has also developed a bitter hatred of his former homeland, which hardly makes this family reunion any easier for the parties involved. Directed by Baltasar Kormákur, Hafid (aka The Sea) received its North American premier at the 2002 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi