Mávahlátur (2001)

Director:

Ágúst Guðmundsson

Writers:

Kristin Marja Baldursdóttir (novel)
Ágúst Guðmundsson (writer)

Release Date:

13 February 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Post-war provincial Iceland: around 1950, Freyja, who'd been a plump teen, returns from America, a widow with a 20-inch waist...

Plot Keywords:

Bronchitis | Based On Novel

Awards:

8 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Margrét Vilhjálmsdóttir	...	Freyja
Ugla Egilsdóttir	...	Agga
Heino Ferch	...	Björn Theódór
Hilmir Snær Guðnason	...	Magnús
Kristbjörg Kjeld	...	Amma
Edda Björg Eyjólfsdóttir	...	Dódó
Bára Lyngdal	...	Dísa (as Bára Lyngdal Magnúsdóttir)
Eyvindur Erlendsson	...	Afi
Guðlaug Ólafsdóttir	...	Ninna (as Guðlaug Elísabet Ólafsdóttir)
Sigurveig Jónsdóttir	...	Kidda
Dilja Mist	...	Emilía (as Diljá Mist Einarsdóttir)
Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir	...	Birna
Jónína Ólafsdóttir	...	Læknisfrúin
Charlotte Bøving	...	Mette
Benedikt Erlingsson	...	Hilli

Also Known As:

Mávahlátur (Iceland)
Mávahlátur - eftir skáldsögu Kristínar Marju Baldursdóttur (Iceland) (long title)
Möwengelächter (Germany)
The Seagull's Laughter (International: English title)

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

Iceland | Germany | UK

Language:

Icelandic | Danish

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Iceland:L

Company:

Isfilm

Intriguing!

I can't really pigeon-hole this film. It's a kind of Icelandic Witches of Eastwick soap opera laden with Icelandic lore and served up with a wonderful cast of Icelanders, none of whose names I recognize or have seen before, that takes you down a winding, rocky, barren, stark, coastal path to a place where you wonder what's going on. Having gotten there, you know no more than when you started out but you've had one helluva time getting there. The two principals, Freyja (Margret Vilhjalmsdottir) and Agga, (Ulga Egilsdottir)generate a chemistry of love and intrigue between an older, mysterious woman and the younger, naive but precocious prepubescent girl, mixed with admiration and loathing. This is a delightful glimpse into the stark, cold world of Iceland, their subtle class system and some marvelous faces. Margret Vilhjamsdottir's has the same stark, sharp beauty of Aussie Nicole Kidman with eyes that can light fires and Ulga Egilsdottir's face is a delight to watch. All in all, this is a real romp of a film and I do love the non-ending.