Olafur Johannesson Movies
- 2008
A small time crook improves his status with the help of a delusional old man in this comedy from Iceland. David (Petur Johann Sigfusson) is an aspiring poet whose work is informed by the tragic death of his brother when they were both children. However, like most poets David can't support himself just by writing and he makes ends meet as an errand boy for a small-time crime ring. David is looking for a way to get ahead in the mob, and when his eccentric landlord Harald (Eggert Thorleifsson) begins telling people that he's a underworld kingpin, he thinks he may have found a way to move a few steps up the ladder. David is able to persuade his partners in crime that Harald is both a close friend and a Mafia capo; he gains new power and influence, but his good fortune is dependent entirely on his landlord not coming to his senses. Stora Planio (aka The Higher Force) also features a brief appearance by Michael Imperioli, who also served as executive producer; the film received its American premiere at the 2008 AFI Los Angeles Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 2008
- R
A fictional story serves as the foundation of this pseudo-documentary concerning a Filipina lady-boy prostitute who longs to explore Paris and find a successful soul mate who can make all of her wildest dreams come true. Raquela Rios is a transsexual prostitute who serves a discerning clientele in Cebu City. But Philippine Manila is a long way from the City of Lights, and in order to earn the cash needed to fund her trip, Raquela enters into the lucrative world of Internet pornography. With a little help from an Icelandic friend and a wealthy American web-porn entrepreneur, Raquela may even raise enough money to realize her goal of becoming a real woman. But while it often feels as if the odds are stacked against her, this infectiously optimistic lady-boy knows that it won't be long before she's wandering the streets of Paris with the one man who accepts her unconditionally, and loves her for who she really is. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Raquela Rios, Stefan Schaefer, (more)
- 2003
Icelandic filmmaker Olafur Sveinsson takes on the challenge of documenting one of his native country's social ills by focusing on the homeless people taking shelter in the capital city of Reykjavik's main bus terminal in his 2002 sociological documentary Hlemmur (Last Stop). Most of the people Sveinsson interviewed were either mentally handicapped or grappling with some sort of debilitating addiction, both conditions which obviously had tremendously negative impacts on the subjects' personal lives and resulted in their social marginalization. As each of the outcasts gathers confidence in Sveinsson, they open up to the filmmaker regarding their utterly miserable situation and the hopelessness that prevents most of the Hlemmur's inhabitants from turning their lives around. Hlemmur was selected for viewing at a handful of film festivals in 2002 and 2003, with its greatest exposure coming at the 2003 Gothenburg International Film Festival. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
