Life in a Fishbowl (2014)

A Reykjavik pre-school teacher struggles to raise her daughter while selling casual sex to help make ends meet.

Director:

Baldvin Zophoníasson

Writers:

Birgir Örn Steinarsson, Baldvin Zophoníasson

Stars:

Hera Hilmar, Þorsteinn Bachmann, Atli Oskar Fjalarsson

15 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Hera Hilmar	...	Eik
Þorsteinn Bachmann	...	Móri
Atli Oskar Fjalarsson	...	Barþjónn
Sveinn Ólafur Gunnarsson	...	Gústi
Thor Kristjansson	...	Sölvi
Jóel Sæmundsson	...	Transporter
Kristín Lea	...	Agnes (as Kristín Lea Sigríðardóttir)
Laufey Elíasdóttir	...	Aníta
Birgir Örn Steinarsson	...	Rakari / Barber
Ingvar Þórðarson	...	Hannes
Valur Freyr Einarsson	...	Siggi
Vigfús Þormar Gunnarsson	...	Björgunarmaður 2
Annalísa Hermannsdóttir	...	Lena
Markus Reymann	...	Gerald
Agust Bjarnason	...	Groom's Entourage (as Ágúst Bjarnason)

Storyline

Three tales of three people who have a lasting effect on one another. A young writer whose career is skyrocketing finds himself in a stormy marriage. He divorces his wife after the death of their daughter, shuts himself from the outside world and drinks himself to death over a twenty-year period.

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Taglines:

Everyone has something to hide.

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Iceland

Language:

Icelandic

Release Date:

10 August 2014 (Iceland)

Also Known As:

Life in a Fishbowl

Filming Locations:

Reykjavík, Iceland

Box Office

Budget:

EUR2,700,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$609,888

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Icelandic Filmcompany, Axman Productions, Harmonica Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

129 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (Dolby 5.1) Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Official submission of Iceland to the best foreign language film category of the 87th Academy Awards 2015.

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Soundtracks

Mah Na Mah Na
Written by Piero Umiliani
Performed by Hera Hilmar

User Reviews

A great piece of Icelandic (social) realism.

Vonarstræti is a great film.

It tells the stories of ordinary people in Iceland during the - I think - buildup of the country's financial crisis in 2008.

Many things separate Vonarstræti from similar films; but above all is perhaps Baldvin Zophoníasson's ability to avoid revealing too much; he never underestimates his audience.

And the stories are simple. The storytelling is simple. The dialogue is real, the performances heartfelt. Hera Hilmar is particularly great, so is the dynamic between her character Eik and Móri, the plagued, yet peaking writer.

Adding to this is the fact that nothing we see on screen is unnecessary to the development of the story. The story is also constantly developing in its own way.

The cinematography is simple and "just there". Nothing fancy here - just like the stories. This simplicity is not just great for realism, it is almost a prerequisite.

On the other hand, it can be argued that the film has its flaws. They include over dramatization of certain scenes, and a potentially bad plot choice (potentially because it's subjective - you be the judge). But even this never goes overboard.

Vonarstræti is overall a great piece of Icelandic social realism. One star deducted for minor flaws, considering that the 10/10 should be reserved for very special cases.

9/10