Eldfjall (2011)

Hannes is an old man who has grown apart from his children. Recently retired when his wife gets ill he tries to reconcile with them and to atone for his cold demeanor in the past.

Director:

Rúnar Rúnarsson

Writer:

Rúnar Rúnarsson

Stars:

Auður Drauma Bachmann, Þorsteinn Bachmann, Kristín Davíðsdóttir

15 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Auður Drauma Bachmann	...	Tinna
Þorsteinn Bachmann	...	Ari
Kristín Davíðsdóttir	...	Nurse
Benedikt Erlingsson	...	Pálmi
Elma Lísa Gunnarsdóttir	...	Telma
Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson	...	Janitor
Harald G. Haraldsson	...	Principal
Margrét Helga Jóhannsdóttir	...	Anna
Theodór Júlíusson	...	Hannes
Björn Karlsson	...	Crane driver
Vigdís Hrefna Pálsdóttir	...	Young Anna
Jóhann Sigurðarson	...	Bragi
Þór Hrafnsson Tulinius	...	ER doctor
Ágúst Örn B. Wigum	...	Kári
Katla M. Þorgeirsdóttir	...	Home Nurse

Storyline

At the beginning of the film Hannes is experiencing the pain of his last day at work, aged 67 and after 37 years as a school caretaker and before that as a fisherman living in the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago. The 1973 volcanic eruption of Eldfell forced him to move the family to the mainland. Retirement does not come easy and it's clear that for some time Hannes has become estranged from his wife and family. On a topical note, his daughter Telma has just been promoted as a loans manager in a bank - to the disgust of her father. His son Ari is divorced, but usually has his small son in tow. Most long-suffering is Anna, the matriarch of the family. Who's really loved by her husband, but when her children are around she has to suffer his intolerance and volatile moods. After nearly sinking in his old fishing boat, Hannes begins to soften and he and Anna have a rapprochement - which is almost immediately halted by tragedy when Anna has a very severe stroke.What follows is a deeply moving ...

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Plot Keywords:

male nudity | male frontal nudity | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Iceland Denmark

Language:

Icelandic

Release Date:

30 September 2011 (Iceland)

Also Known As:

Volcano

Filming Locations:

Iceland

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fine & Mellow Productions,Zik Zak Kvikmyndir

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Iceland's official submission to the Best Foreign Language Film category of the 84th Academy Awards 2012.

User Reviews

"Profoundly humane, reflective and unsentimental..."

Icelandic screenwriter and director Rúnar Rúnarsson's feature film debut which he wrote, premiered in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 64th Cannes International Film Festival in 2011, was screened in the Another View section at the 46th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 2011, was shot on location in Iceland and is an Iceland-Denmark co-production which was produced by producers Skûli Fr. Malmquist, Þórir S. Sigurjónsson and Egil Dennerline. It tells the story about a 67-year-old man named Hannes and his wife named Anna who lives in Reykjavik, Iceland where Hannes has worked as a janitor at a school ever since they left the Vestmannaeyjar after the volcano eruption in 1976. Hannes is retiring from his long-time job as a janitor and finds himself in a new situation.

Finely and acutely directed by Icelandic filmmaker Rúnar Rúnarsson, this quietly paced and authentic fictional tale which is narrated mostly from the protagonist's point of view, draws an intimate portrayal of an elder man's relationship with his wife, his grown up children and his way of facing retirement. While notable for its naturalistic and atmospheric milieu depictions, fine cinematography by cinematographer Sophia Olsson and realism, this character-driven and dialog-driven coming-of-age tale depicts an empathic study of character and contains a prominent score by composer Kjartan Sveinsson.

This somewhat romantic, somewhat humorous and compassionate story about the realities of life and family relations which is set in the capital city of Iceland and where lives comes closer, is impelled and reinforced by its cogent narrative structure, subtle character development and the poignant acting performances by Icelandic actor Theódór Jûliusson and Icelandic actress Margrét Helga Jóhannsdóttir. A profoundly humane, reflective and unsentimental drama which gained, among numerous other awards, the Krzysztof Kieslowski Award for Best Feature Film at the 34th Denver Film Festival in 2011.