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!
