101 Reykjavík (2000)

Director:

Baltasar Kormákur

Writers:

Hallgrímur Helgason (novel)
Baltasar Kormákur (writer)

Release Date:

1 June 2000 (Iceland)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

30° below zero, five hours of daylight, what else can you do but get wrecked

Plot:

Thirty-year-old Hlynur still lives with his mother and spends his days drinking, watching porn and surfing...

Plot Keywords:

New Year | Christmas | New Year's Eve | Porn | Lesbian

Awards:

9 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Victoria Abril	...	Lola
Hilmir Snær Guðnason	...	Hlynur
Hanna María Karlsdóttir	...	Berglind
Þrúður Vilhjálmsdóttir	...	Hófí
Baltasar Kormákur	...	Þröstur
Ólafur Darri Ólafsson	...	Marri
Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson	...	Brúsi
Eyvindur Erlendsson	...	Hafsteinn
Halldóra Björnsdóttir	...	Elsa
Hilmar Jonsson	...	Magnús
Jóhann Sigurðarson	...	Páll
Edda Heidrún Backman	...	Kona Páls
Guðmundur Ingi Þorvaldsson	...	Ellert
Gunnar Eyjólfsson	...	Nágranni
Jónína Ólafsdóttir	...	Kona á Tryggingarm

Also Known As:

101 Reykjavik (France)
101 Rvk (Iceland) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

Iceland | Denmark | France | Norway | Germany

Language:

Icelandic | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Netherlands:16 | Italy:VM14 | Hungary:16 | Argentina:16 | Canada:18A | Chile:14 | Finland:K-15 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:15 | Singapore:(Banned) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | USA:Not Rated | Switzerland:16 (canton of Zurich) | Australia:MA (TV rating)

Company:

Blueeyes Productions

Trivia:

101 is the zip code for Reykjavik's town center, the oldest part of town, this part of town is home to Iceland's cultural elite.

Quotes:

Hlynur: [voice over] Why don't they show any porn in the morning? It's easy to get the rest up once your dicks up and about.

Soundtrack:

It's All Right

911 Iceland...

This more or less seems to become a new trend: European countries – not particularly known for their rich history in film-making – surprise the world with semi-artistic movies telling us how boring life is in this particular country. F*cking Amal did so for Sweden…and 101 Reykjavik represents Iceland's pride and joy. I really like the lackadaisical tone of this film and especially the main character Hlynur is great! I love these Icelandic names, by the way…and the language is lovely! Anyway, Hlynur is a 30 something single man who gives cigarettes to 4-year-olds and daydreams about butchering his closest relatives with a shotgun…on Christmas day! He still lives with his mother while he already looks forward to drawing a pension. Oh, he also occasionally bangs his mother's Flamenco dance-teacher. Her name is Lola and every time her name is mentioned the song by The Kinks can be heard on a harmonica, which is rather funny. Anyway, Hlynur doesn't know that Lola is the lesbian toygirl of his mother…Just your typical day in 101 Reykjavik.

101 Reykjavik is very funny, only because the main character is such a loser! And everybody knows is a lot more interesting to observe a loser instead of a fake action hero, right? The different subjects handled in this film all may look very controversial, but the terrific use of black humor and satire makes it a lot easier to digest. And, it must be said, the film features a few extremely ingenious findings! In a brilliantly comical scene, Hlynur irritates a traffic warden by putting extra coins in every parking meter so that he can't write a single ticket. I'd certainly recommend this film, as long as you're not expecting an authentic masterpiece. It's clever, creative and filled with nudity (male and female). If they made one lesson clear with this movie, it's: don't ever settle in Iceland!