Jitters (2010) User Reviews

Inside view in a teenage mind in today's time

[itsvivek4u · 6/10 · 10 July 2011]

Jitters is a coming of age drama set in Iceland. This film is like watching a group of teenagers through a secret camera and following the happenings in their life. The incidents can be positive, tense, romantic, eye openers or whatever but it does provide a fun , positive look at today's youngsters focussing specifically on Iceland.

This is a group of trouble proned friends lead by Gabriel. On a 3 week English Immersion trip to Manchester, he shares a room with Marcus who is free spirited. He brings some character in life of Marcus and on their last day, they share a kiss. It is a short lived romance as it ends when they both come back home. They do keep sharing text messages though. Friends and family notice a change but he decides to keep a secret. We also get to know the lives of all of his friends. His best friend is having troubles with his girlfriend. He wants to score with her but she is not so easy to budge. We also have Greta, who just cant live with her mother anymore and decided to find a place for rent. She is also in search of her father and finally fins the man who could possibly be her father. She just wants to finish this so that she can move on. We also have Stella who likes Gabriel and who lives with her over protective grandmother who doesn't allow to let Stella live the life she wants to. She is always interfering. In between the lives of all of these friends, Gabriel is trying to find his own identity. When he and Marcus meet again, sparks are there but no one does anything. Gabriel is upset when he sees Marcus getting physical with a girl which ends up in a fight. When his friends interfere, Marcus tells them that Gabriel is gay. The friends are finally accepting and now it is time for Gabriel to move on and decide what he wants to do with Marcus.

The excitement and traumas of a group of Icelandic teenagers as they tentatively enter young adulthood, is very effectively and brilliantly captured in this film. The entire ensemble cast is very good and very very well acted by the whole group of teenagers. I personally feel that if the focus could have been given more on Gabriel's relationship rather than focussing so much in details on the 2 girls, it would have been clear on what exact;y is going on in his head because he is always so quiet. But I guess in the process the film could also have missed out on a big chunk of audience. Overall, a pretty good job. I would have loved it even more if it was somewhat focused rather than all over the group of friends but that's just me.

The film although showing young teenage drama still is insightful and remains true in showing emotions.

Gritty and emotional, but somehow falls flat.

[DoINeedT0 · 6/10 · 28 June 2014]

I felt this film was well done in the fact that none of the story-lines were over-complicated, but there were a lot of them and thus didn't make it quite as powerful if there had just been a singular one. However, the acting was accomplished; I especially was captivated by the Grandmother's emotional performance, it was heart-rendering when she was given the necklace and also *spoiler* at the funeral; the shot when she was talking to Gabriel, was really beautiful.

Adding to this, the moments where certain characters just hugged each other was particularly moving, especially when no words were needed to convey their emotions. The final scene was both humorous, tense and relatively satisfying for a film ending.

I have to say that I didn't connect with Gabriel's character to a large extent, but I loved the way that he was very at ease with his friends and that they could all be at ease with each other.

The music was quite good too and I was happy when I heard the song 'Love Love Love' by 'Of Monsters and Men', when Gabriel is on the bus at one point, I felt the lyrics reflected the Grandmother's feelings.

The film felt very long for the right film length , and the beginning felt almost like another film, or it didn't quite fit with the rest of the film.

Overall, I liked the film, it somehow didn't reach my expectations, it was gritty and emotional, and again like many coming of age films; portrayed teenagers' awkwardness, possibly too much. But never the less, I enjoyed it.

Growing pains and "deviations" in a distant Western society

[BeneCumb · 7/10 · 9 September 2015]

You are in your teens, have a wealthy family/environment (at least in global terms), not too much cash to spend, no special hobbies or passions - what would you do? Hanging around, partying, sobbing over yourself and others, trying to define yourself in life...

All this we can see in Órói, with remote location and isolation enhancing them. Life seems hard emotionally, but teens have rather determined ways to cope and/or move on, particularly if you have something "abnormal" inside you, to be concealed from others. Thus, the script is not conceptional, but pleasant performances, realism and views of Iceland provide additional virtues, including witty ending and mix of funny (e.g. family meetings) and tragic (a death) moments.

Apart from rumours or comprehensions, it is no really gay film, so it can be recommended to those with conservative viewpoints as well. Perhaps not for parents of teens, as "adult" topics are shown too often (well, having visited Iceland, it is odd how the youth can afford so much to drink as respective prices are among the highest in the world).

Good Script

[ricardo_edm · 7/10 · 19 November 2017]

Overall, I liked the "coming out" part of the story. It rang very true and I could identify with the situations the characters experienced. The rest of the movie, though, felt like it lacked focus, like it tried to accomplish too much and in the end it did most everything okay when fewer story lines might have worked much better.

I loved this movie

[bh42394 · 10/10 · 8 December 2013]

As for the previous writer's review I won't comment...

I thought this was a very well done coming of age drama. These kids are no different than kids in the US in that age group. Some people do drink a lot as well as do drugs during those years. It doesn't mean they aren't going to eventually find themselves and turn into who they will become in years to come.

I thought the acting of each of these young people was very good and Gabriel's character would certainly touch home with many in any part of the world who are trying to figure it all out...

I would highly suggest this movie to young people coming of age who are having problems with their sexuality. The movie is for the most part non-sexual in nature and what exist of the gay portion is very well done.

Getting the...

[morrison-dylan-fan · 10/10 · 21 October 2015]

Talking to family friend Guy Morgan (who since this was originally written, suddenly passed away from a about brain hemorrhage in 2019 at just age 46.) the excellent Nordic Noir film Black's Game (2012-also reviewed),he told me about a gay Nordic Drama that he had recently seen. With having only seen the Noir offerings from recent Nordic cinema,I started to get the "jitters" to explore other genres.

View on the film:

Backed by a warm acoustic indie soundtrack,co-writer/(along with Ingibjörg Reynisdóttir)director Baldvin Zophoníasson & cinematographer Jóhann Máni Jóhannsson give the movie a rustic,almost documentary appearance,as Zophoníasson's long takes capture the intimacy and friendship between Gabriel and his friends with a real delicacy.

Giving the paperback cover of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo a cheeky cameo, Zophoníasson subtly brings darkness into Gabriel & Stella's friendship,as the light,breezy brightness of the first half dims into dark blues and blacks,as Stella starts to reach a breaking point with her grandmother.

For the screenplay of the film, Zophoníasson & Reynisdóttir use the opening to give the relationship between Gabriel & Markus a firm foundation,thanks to the casual nature of the dialogue expressing the love and tenderness that Gabriel feels for Marcus.

Surrounding Gabriel with a group of pals,the writers brilliantly make the criss- crossing plots feel like they are building the overall friendship of the gang,as Stella's tragic issues with her ground mother are entwined with Markus having a desire to know about what Gabriel's feelings are for him.

Given the most tragic notes of the friends,Iva Holmes gives a raw,heartfelt performance as Stella,with Holmes brilliantly balancing Stella's relaxed,friendly personality with a brittle darkness that becomes to much to bare.

Lighting up the screen with his dazzling eyes, Atli Oskar Fjalarsson gives a fantastic performance as Gabriel,thanks to Fjalarsson giving an adorable awkwardness,as he starts to get the jitters for Markus.

Icelandic Skins

[meaninglessbark · 4/10 · 14 January 2013]

Jitters is not exactly the movie the packaging describes (the story of a gay 16 year old's coming of age). It's more of an ensemble piece with multiple story lines. In fact the supposed main story is so lightweight it's easy to forget it's meant to be the movie's main story.

Not that Jitters really has any story to tell. The movie just stares at the slightly over dramatized lives of a group of Icelandic 16 year olds. This mainly consists of drinking, kissing, drinking Coca-Cola (either that beverage is huge among Iceland's youth or the company paid for placement), gossiping, and walking around looking cute and moody. Every now and then there are flashes of drama which feel more like script flourishes than real life.

If you liked the BBC's Skins you might enjoy Jitters. But Jitters is more like a listless, dreary, low key version of Skins. It's watchable but not memorable.

Jitters is also one of those films where you can see the bones for a much better film beneath all the standard movie plotting. There are a few moments which are excellent, such as the final scene in the film. Had the story focused on the main character and his sorting himself out this probably would have been a great film.

Messy Lives yet Beautiful depiction of nowadays youth

[ZanderZion · 10/10 · 13 April 2019]

Although it's tag as lgbtq+ but actually it wasn't gay'er that much. The story does not focus on protagonist alone but to all the lives of his friends also. It depicts the troubles and weary that the youth encounters and sufers. Family, Teenage rebellion, independence, and coming of age. Sorrows and joy, conflicts and romance for me all are very well presented.

All they do is get drunk...

[nexttsar · 5/10 · 24 May 2013]

I have to echo another reviewer who indicated that the star, Gabriel, a 16 yr old Icelandic boy, is the best thing about this film. He is very cute and appealing, but really only to gay viewers. He goes to Manchester, England, for a short school course, and meets another Icelandic boy, Markus, who seems to be Mr. Straight Boy, but in fact, is gay, and when drunk, they share a kiss. Back in Iceland, Gabriel reunites with his high school friends, a couple of girls and one guy. For the most part, their entire lives revolve around alcohol and parties. Now, it is well known that Iceland suffers from an alcoholism problem, but these kids just drink, and drink, and drink some more, mostly hard liquor. There is some drama among the girls who are hot for Gabriel, who is not hot for them, and for his friend Teddi, who is hot for any living female.Other drama includes a girl living with her impossible grandmother, another girl living with her drunk mother, and Gabriel's divorced parents, who think his moodiness is because he is on drugs. If anything, this film makes living in Rejkavik seem terrible, since there is nothing to do but drink. The characters are shallow and uninteresting, and Gabriel is the only one worth looking at.

LGBTQ?...NOT!!

[stevewalt10654 · 1/10 · 19 November 2022]

One would be hard pressed to find a movie as horrible as this one. There is more "gay action" at a Trump rally. The boys supposedly in love are hardly ever in the story. They start kissing at the start of the film without any hint of them wanting to do so. Then the girls enter the picture chasing them are all over the place for some reason that is never explored or explained. The parents are all concerned about their kids behavior absent any any hint as to why they care. This is not a coming of age teen film. It is centered on teens getting smashed with their friends which is nothing new. "Lets have another drink" is the zeitgeist of the show. When I was finished watching this disaster I had more than a few.

Too many stories and no focus

[cekadah · 1/10 · 15 February 2016]

There is a line spoken by one of the characters in this flick and it went something like this -"There are no good Icelandic movies!". Well for me this is surely one of them!

It actually made little sense beyond the kids being on summer break (even though they dressed like it was late Fall here in US) just getting drunk and vomiting. They argue with their parents then go party, party and get drunk. Then talk about getting laid. They run around drink, party, argue, and of course one of them kills herself! Which didn't seem to have too much of an affect upon anyone outside of the lead character Gabriel.

And he's what this flick is suppose to be about. Early in the movie he kisses a boy and get a thrill from it. Then at the end of the flick Gabriel tells the same boy he wants to hookup with him as boyfriend - end of movie! So you actually spend over an hour watching Icelandic teens drinking & vomiting & partying.

Cute star; totally, ludicrously unbelievable movie

[jm10701 · 17 October 2012]

Jitters is okay; I didn't hate it, but I can't say I like it; it's just too unbelievable to react to in much of any way at all.

Atli Oskar Fjalarsson is very cute, and although it's completely unbelievable that every girl he knows has the hots for him, I'd believe it in an instant if they were boys (but they're not).

In any other movie, a boy like him - a sweet, gentle, graceful, sympathetic, six-foot, 90-pound sylph-like pretty boy with flawless skin - would constantly be having to prove he's not gay, and constantly be bullied by gangs of straight boys and ridiculed by gangs of straight girls; but evidently it's not like that in Iceland. Everybody in this movie, of every age, male and female, seems to see Matthew McConaughey in him instead of Audrey Hepburn. It's a great mystery.

Unfortunately, Atli Oscar's cuteness is about all this silly movie has going for it. I never believed in anybody, so I never cared what happened to anybody. What's obviously supposed to be the great tragedy is simply ludicrous, but no more ludicrous than anything else that happens.

This is my first Icelandic movie, so it may be a cultural thing; although I have loved and related deeply to movies from all the other Scandinavian countries, Iceland is very different, and very much smaller. But it's a little hard to believe - even as isolated as that country is and always has been - that teenagers and even adults are as naive, as clueless, as simpleminded, almost, as they are in this movie.

I'm pretty sure Iceland is a modern, advanced country, but these people seem more out of touch than the Amish. Maybe it's true that Icelanders are extraordinarily simple, naive, backward people; if so, I can understand why the world isn't swarming with Icelandic movies. But for now I'm going to assume that Iceland is a great country and Icelanders are smart, interesting people and that this is just a dumb movie.

Boring and almost unwatchable

[uglytatto · 3/10 · 10 March 2023]

The movie starts with the two main characters kissing with no chemistry whatsoever before doing so and absolutely no build up, then the main goes back home where they totally change the storyline and focus more on drinking partying and trowing up they also focus on the mom having no clue of what privacy is which really has nothing to do nor it connects to the start of the story .One of them commits suicide in the middle of the story which I believe was just for dramatic effect because NO ONEEE was affected by her death since the story just goes on and so do the characters. The two main characters decide they want to know each other more than the movie just ends. 1 hour and 37 minutes of my life wasted on actual filler and meaningless plots it felt as if I was watching two completely different movies just to get 5 minutes of actual interesting plot. Also the movie overview didn't include the fact that they literally force you to watch a different movie in the middle of it where a girl is trying to find her father which was SOOOO uninteresting and borinnnnnggg.