No Such Thing (2001)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Hal Hartley

Writer:

Hal Hartley (written by)

Release Date:

15 November 2002 (Iceland)

Genre:

Horror | Drama | Fantasy | Comedy

Tagline:

A modern day fable.

Plot:

"No Such Thing" tells the story of a young journalist who journeys to Iceland to find her missing fiancée only to encounter a mythical creature. She eventually forges a relationship with the being.

Plot Keywords:

Monster | Boss | Iceland | Media | Fishing Village

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Margrét Ákadóttir	...	Rental agent
Robert John Burke	...	The Monster
Julie Anderson	...	Beautician
Sarah Polley	...	Beatrice
Anna Kristín Arngrímsdóttir	...	Sólveig
Ilene Bergelson	...	Ethel
Guðrún María Bjarnadóttir	...	Marta (as Guðrún Bjarnadóttir)
Bessi Bjarnason	...	Captain
Helgi Björnsson	...	Leó
Julie Christie	...	Dr. Anna
Stacy Dawson	...	Mugger
Maria Ellingsen	...	Karlsdóttir / Gate-Manager (as María Ellingsen)
Anthony Giangrande	...	Journalist
Erica Gimpel	...	Judy
Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson	...	First mate

Also Known As:

Monster (USA) (working title)
Skrímsli (Iceland)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and brief violence.

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

Iceland | USA

Language:

English | Icelandic

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:PG | USA:TV-14 (cable rating) | Iceland:LH (video rating) | Iceland:L (original rating) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Iceland

Company:

American Zoetrope

Trivia:

Burke described to Fangoria Magazine that he once decided to walk through downtown NYC in his Monster make-up, and no one gave him a second glance.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When the two men are shot in the airport, the imprint of one of the actors' "blood bag"s can be seen through his shirt.

Quotes:

The Monster: Nobody's afraid of me any more.
Beatrice: ...I'm afraid of you

Movie Connections:

References Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

Art-house Fairy Tale

NO SUCH THING (3 outta 5 stars) A weird kind of project for indy art movie writer/director Hal Hartley... a modern day version of "Beauty and the Beast". A heavily made-up Robert John Burke is "The Beast", a near-immortal monster living as far from humanity as he can. Unfortunately, people still keep seeking him out, causing him to respond with violence. All he really wants is the peace of death... and when pretty, young reporter Sarah Polley is taken to him as a sort of sacrifice he offers to spare her life if she'll help him find a missing scientist who may be able to grant him his fondest wish. The movie starts out well... the monster gets some funny, earthy dialogue and the tentative relationship with "The Beauty" doesn't seem too forced. Towards the end, however, the story seems to fall apart a bit... becoming less believable and a little unfocused. The movie concludes in grand "art movie" style... with a series of arty crosscuts and fades that look very stylish... but don't really bring things to a satisfying close.