Nói albínói (2003)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Dagur Kári

Writer:

Dagur Kári (writer)

Release Date:

28 February 2003 (Iceland)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A wonderboy and drop-out on an Icelandic village scale, Noi (17), dreams of escaping from his remote fjord with the girl from the filling station...

Plot Keywords:

Fjord | Winter | Village | Mountain | Escape

Awards:

20 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Tómas Lemarquis	...	Nói
Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson	...	Kiddi Beikon
Elín Hansdóttir	...	Íris
Anna Friðriksdóttir	...	Lína
Hjalti Rögnvaldsson	...	Óskar
Pétur Einarsson	...	Prestur
Kjartan Bjargmundsson	...	Gylfi
Þorsteinn Gunnarsson	...	Þórarinn Skólastjóri
Guðmundur Ólafsson	...	Alfreð Kennari
Haraldur Jónsson	...	Teitur Sálfræðingur
Gérard Lemarquis	...	Frönskukennari
Greipur Gíslason	...	Dabbi
Páll Loftsson	...	Pabbi Dabba / Bankastjóri
Ásdís Thoroddsen	...	Bankastarfsmaður
Ásmundur Ásmudsson	...	Barþjónn

Also Known As:

Nói (USA) (promotional title)
Noi the Albino (International: English title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language and brief nudity.

Runtime:

France:82 min | Iceland:93 min | Netherlands:90 min (Rotterdam Film Festival) | Netherlands:95 min | Sweden:89 min | USA:93 min

Country:

Iceland | Germany | UK | Denmark

Language:

Icelandic | French

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:13 | South Korea:12 | Australia:M | Finland:K-7 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Iceland:L | Singapore:PG | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | Switzerland:14 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:15 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Bolungarvík, Iceland

Company:

Zik Zak Kvikmyndir

Trivia:

Palm trees are repeatedly present in the movie as a symbol: on the Viewmaster slide, on Noi's father's shirt, on the cake her grandmother bakes and on the green wallpaper at his house.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): In the scene where the psychiatrist examines Nói, the former behaves strangely negligent. No health care professional would administrate an intelligence test by giving the subject scarce instructions, since these are part of a standardized protocol. Instead, he would give detailed instructions asking the subject if he has understood them and should be present during, at least, a portion of the test.

Quotes:

Alfre<eth> Kennari: [after Nói hands in a blank paper] Are you handing it in like this?
Nói: Yes.
Alfre<eth> Kennari: And what mark do you think you'll get for it?
Nói: Zero?
Alfre<eth> Kennari: No, no, no! You get zero point five for writing your name!
Nói: Really? That's better than I expected.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Niceland (Population. 1.000.002) (2004)

A fascinating, deeply touching story

Although distant in time and space, this work is reminiscent of post-WW2 Italian neorealism, with a sprinkle of dry Nordic humour. The grandiose setting of Iceland's north-western fjord region is the real protagonist: that huge white cone-shaped mountain looms in the background, very similar to Dante's Purgatory mount, meting out penance and confining the souls living within its shadow. The actors - like in neorealistic movies - seem (but aren't) taken from the street, they look completely natural, they have jobs and behave like real people. The title character is amazingly expressive, despite his shaved head and eyebrows. With a fractional movement of the eyes and mouth he moves us to tears or laughter. The dialogues are scanty, but the continuity makes it all very clear: Noi is a child prodigy, who is tied to an inescapable, remote environment. He is at variance with his teachers, but loves - and is loved by - his disjoint family. He dreams of escaping to an entirely different world, a world of sunny beaches and palm trees, taking along the girl he is infatuated with. But deep down he knows his dream is doomed: there is no escape from his icy ghetto - almost.