Jorundur Ragnarsson Movies
- 2008
An Icelandic crime thriller with the gloss stripped away - leaving a bleak, sad and despairing narrative - director Oskar Jonasson's Reykjavik-Rotterdam hones in on a down-and-outer at the very end of his rope. For Kristofer (Baltasar Kormakur) life has been little more than a never ending series of failures and disappointments. Among other things, he made the colossal mistake of smuggling alcohol during his tenure as a shipworker - a little stunt that promptly landed him behind bars. Now, following release, he struggles to pull his life together while working as a security guard and continually attempts to support his family. Then the opportunity arises for Kristofer to do one final tour on a freighter running from Reykjavik, Iceland, to Rotterdam, Holland. Kristofer initially embraces the opportunity to work with his old friends once again - little foreseeing the malestorm of crime into which this move will plunge him. At the time of release, some English language sources misleadingly categorized this film as a comedy. As the above synopsis indicates, nothing could be further from the truth. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Baltasar Kormákur, Victor Löw, (more)
- 2008
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, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tinna Hrafnsdottir, Hilmir Snær Gudnason, (more)
- 2008
A writer with a day job that's not quite legal has trouble getting out of the business (and finding her way around town) in this comedy from writer and director Solveig Anspach. Anna Hallgrimsdottir (Didda Jonsdottir) is a poet who has received acclaim for her work both at home and around the world, but being a successful poet doesn't pay especially well and Anna covers the bills by selling marijuana, a product she enthusiastically endorses herself. Anna has lived most of her life in Reykjavik but she's sick and tired of living in Iceland and wants to move elsewhere. Anna has attracted a significant number of loyal customers, and another dealer is willing to pay her handsomely to take over her business and obtain her client list. Anna sets up a meeting with the dealer and she and her brother Tomas (Jorundur Ragnarsson) head out for the rendezvous, but they've been enjoying a bit too much of Anna's product and what should have been a short drive becomes an epic journey and a comedy of errors as they stumble upon an old friend, Siggi (Ingvar E. Sigurdsson) who is attempting suicide, pick up a woman named Joy (Joy Doyle) who is trying to find the prison where her boyfriend is doing time, and try to get directions from Raphael (Julien Cottereau), a French literature student who is doing a project on Anna's verse. Skrapp Ut . . . (aka Back Soon) received its North American premiere at the 2008 Montreal World Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Didda Jonsdottir, Jorundur Ragnarsson, (more)
