The Seagull's Laughter (2001)
"Mávahlátur" (original title)

Post-war provincial Iceland: around 1950, Freyja, who'd been a plump teen, returns from America, a widow with a 20-inch waist, seven suitcases of dresses, and a list of who ever wronged or ... See full summary »

Director:

Ágúst Guðmundsson

Writers:

Kristin Marja Baldursdóttir (novel), Ágúst Guðmundsson

Stars:

Margrét Vilhjálmsdóttir, Ugla Egilsdóttir, Heino Ferch

8 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Margrét Vilhjálmsdóttir	...	Freyja
Ugla Egilsdóttir	...	Agga
Heino Ferch	...	Björn Theódór
Hilmir Snær Guðnason	...	Magnús
Kristbjörg Kjeld	...	Amma
Edda Björg Eyjólfsdóttir	...	Dódó
Bára Lyngdal Magnúsdóttir	...	Dísa
Eyvindur Erlendsson	...	Afi
Guðlaug Ólafsdóttir	...	Ninna (as Guðlaug Elísabet Ólafsdóttir)
Sigurveig Jónsdóttir	...	Kidda
Dilja Mist	...	Emilía (as Diljá Mist Einarsdóttir)
Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir	...	Birna
Jónína Ólafsdóttir	...	Læknisfrúin
Charlotte Bøving	...	Mette
Benedikt Erlingsson	...	Hilli

Storyline

Post-war provincial Iceland: around 1950, Freyja, who'd been a plump teen, returns from America, a widow with a 20-inch waist, seven suitcases of dresses, and a list of who ever wronged or slighted her. She moves in with an aunt and socialist uncle: finding a new husband is high on her agenda, and she's mistrusted by Agga, a pre-teen who's our eyes and ears. The social order and Freyja are more complicated than they seem at first, and so may be her prospects. Class divisions, families ties, pride, the onset of puberty, and the power of Eros sliver the ice.

---

Plot Keywords:

bronchitis | based on novel

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

---

Details

Country:

Iceland Germany UK

Language:

Icelandic Danish

Release Date:

13 February 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Seagull's Laughter

Company Credits

Production Co:

Isfilm, Archer Street Productions, Hope & Glory Film Productions GmbH

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

User Reviews

Intriguing!

I can't really pigeon-hole this film. It's a kind of Icelandic Witches of Eastwick soap opera laden with Icelandic lore and served up with a wonderful cast of Icelanders, none of whose names I recognize or have seen before, that takes you down a winding, rocky, barren, stark, coastal path to a place where you wonder what's going on. Having gotten there, you know no more than when you started out but you've had one helluva time getting there. The two principals, Freyja (Margret Vilhjalmsdottir) and Agga, (Ulga Egilsdottir)generate a chemistry of love and intrigue between an older, mysterious woman and the younger, naive but precocious prepubescent girl, mixed with admiration and loathing. This is a delightful glimpse into the stark, cold world of Iceland, their subtle class system and some marvelous faces. Margret Vilhjamsdottir's has the same stark, sharp beauty of Aussie Nicole Kidman with eyes that can light fires and Ulga Egilsdottir's face is a delight to watch. All in all, this is a real romp of a film and I do love the non-ending.