Englar alheimsins (2000)

Director:

Friðrik Þór Friðriksson

Writer:

Einar Guðmundsson (novel)

Release Date:

1 January 2000 (Iceland)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Plot:

Páll is an artistic and sensitive young man. Getting dumped by his girlfriend, Dagny, triggers his descent into madness...

Plot Keywords:

Mental Institution | Schizophrenia | Suicide | Mental Illness | Based On Novel

Awards:

14 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson	...	Páll (as Ingvar E. Sigurðsson)
Baltasar Kormákur	...	Óli
Hilmir Snær Guðnason	...	Pétur
Björn Jörundur Friðbjörnsson	...	Viktor
Margrét Helga Jóhannsdóttir	...	Móðir Páls
Theódór Júlíusson	...	Faðir Páls
Friðrik Steinn Friðriksson	...	Haraldur
Sara Margrét Mikaelsdóttir	...	Svana
Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir	...	Dagný
Þór Tulinius	...	Rögnvaldur
Hrönn Steingrímsdóttir	...	Móðir Dagnýjar
Pétur Einarsson	...	Brynjólfur
Egill Ólafsson	...	Lúðvík
Pálmi Gestsson	...	Vilhjálmur
Jón Karl Helgason	...	Eysteinn

Also Known As:

Angels of the Universe
Engel des Universums (Germany)
Universets engler (Norway)
Universums änglar (Sweden)

Runtime:

100 min | Germany:102 min

Country:

Iceland | Norway | Germany | Sweden | Denmark

Language:

Icelandic

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M | Czech Republic:15 | Finland:K-11 | Germany:12 (bw) | Iceland:L | Sweden:11

Filming Locations:

Reykjavík, Iceland

Company:

Icelandic Film

Trivia:

The dream scene with the horses is not as clear as it should be. In the book, Páll had three siblings, not two as is shown. Four horses = four siblings.

Movie Connections:

References Planet of the Apes (1968)

Soundtrack:

Cold Fever

Once in a Lifetime

Ok, let me start. I´ve seen this movie about a year ago (in a special cycle, since it didn´t arrive on the regular circuit, as most Scandinavian cinema...) & it moved me like very few. It may be somewhat naïve and even simplistic at times, but this adds to its deepness. At the end, I was literally apathic, not wanting to be close to anyone neither to talk. The OST is also truly fabulous - Mr Hilmar Hilmarsson & Sigur Rós have done a truly stunning ambient work, carrying the film to a whole new dimension. In all, this is a uniquely stunning, profoundly depressive and amazingly beautiful movie, from a distant yet so close cinematography, of which I hope to see more (I´d heard of the film years before I actually had the chance to behold it...). So, for all you unshallow souls & admirers of beauty in/ through sadness, this comes as highly advisable (9 in 10, no doubt)piece of Scandinavian moviescapism. I think the only problem with it is the angst which it leaves - which... in what films concerns, is hardly negative. Congratulations to Mr Fridrik Fridriksson & the rest of the Icelandic (wonderful country, btw...) cast. Unique masterpiece.