Kristbjorg Kjeld Movies

Icelandic writer-director Ragnar Bragason's dark, brooding ensemble drama Born (AKA Children) follows the entangled lives of a group of lower-rung citizens of Reykjavik as they struggle to just barely keep their heads above water, but all too often succeed in spiritually drowning, through a constant stream of poor decisions. Ultra-stylized, and shot in black-and-white, the picture opens on Gardar (Gisli Orn Gardarsson), a mob runner who attempts to turn his life around by locating and re-forging bonds with his estranged adolescent son Gudmund (Andri Snaer Helgason). The boy lives with his mother, Karitas (Nina Dogg Filippusdottir). A divorced hospital worker, battling for custody of the girls with her estranged husband, she tries to turn a buck by pilfering and illegally selling prescription drugs from the medical facility where she works. Gudmund's only close friend in the world is the schizophrenic thirtysomething Marino (Olafur Darri Olafsson) who has a flat in the same apartment block as he does. Marino learns - unhappily - that his mom is dating a stranger, and thus sinks ever deeper into his condition. Meanwhile, when Gardar turns up, looking for Gudmund, Marino instantly dislikes and distrusts him - but Karitas waxes even more vitriolic. The hostility builds - on all fronts - when Gardar and Gudmund start regularly slipping off and spending time together without telling anyone. Born marked Bragasson's debut feature. ~ Nathan Southern, 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

Since the death of his father, 30-year-old Jóhann's (Hilmir Snaer Gudnason) emotional well-being has taken a turn for the worse. Not only was his domineering father a forceful and trusted business partner, he was also Jóhann's one friend in the world. Now having to manage both his business and personal affairs for the first time, Jóhann proves a failure at both as he allows his guesthouse to go empty while using the property as a sort of bunker to hide away from the rest of Reykjavik's population. In doing so, Jóhann's business debts begin to stack up as his debtors threaten to foreclose on the guesthouse. Just as Jóhann has sunken to a seemingly irreversible low, a neighbor boy and fellow social outcast named Finnur (Stefan Eiriksson) begins visiting him regularly, thus forming the basis of an odd friendship. Emboldened by his newfound sense of belonging, Jóhann decides to make another go of running the guesthouse -- but his confidence is tested as he and Finnur are forced to confront the issues in their lives they had previously been ignoring. ~ Ryan Shriver, Rovi

I Skugga Hrafnsins--released in English-speaking countries as Shadow of the Raven--is essentially Tristan and Isolde, Icelandic style. During the late 11th century, Iceland is gradually being converted to Christianity, but old ways die hard. Tratusi (Reine Brynolfsson), a young Norseman, returns home to discover that his family is embroiled in a deadly feud...over the beached carcass of a whale. When the rival clan leader is killed, he is replaced by his daughter Isold (Tinna Gunnlaugsdottir) To assure that peace will reign in the region, Isold is promised in marriage to the son of the Bishop of Iceland (Sune Mangs)--who, despite his position as official spokesperson of Christian values, is corrupt and power-hungry. Isold would be willing to swallow her indignation and concede to this marriage of diplomacy, but she has fallen in love with her "enemy" Tratusi. Her plan to follow her heart while seeming to follow her duty inevitably ends in tragedy. Slow going for non-Scandanavian audiences, I Skugga Hrafnsina picks up tremendously in its violent final third. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi