Hjartasteinn (Heartstone) Iceland, Viewed at 2016 Venice Film Festival Director Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson, 34, Debut film. It's been a while since the films of Friðrik Þór Friðriksson put Iceland on the Cinema map in the eighties and nineties. This epic scale coming of age drama set in a remote fishing village far from the capital Reykjavik looks like the start of a new Icelandic wave. Fresh energy and a keen re-observing of what it's like to be a teenager on the verge of puberty, even dabbling a bit in homosexuality, makes this coming of age story something else. Against a magnificent backdrop of sea and mountains Guðmundur follows the entanglements of two simple outback families and their kids.
The film centers mainly on Thor, a sensitive twelve year old boy and his slightly older, taller, buddy Kristján who is probably gay, but also on their rough friendship with a couple of teenage girls and their problems with rough hewn parents. The performances of the two boys is astounding and Guðmundur's direction is totally assured. Given the setting this is a one of a kind new film experience on a set of old themes. Bravo! The two teenage actors, Baldur Einsasson (Thor) and Blær Hinriksson, (Kristján) are both talents to watch for in upcoming films from the Land of Geysers.
The film centers mainly on Thor, a sensitive twelve year old boy and his slightly older, taller, buddy Kristján who is probably gay, but also on their rough friendship with a couple of teenage girls and their problems with rough hewn parents. The performances of the two boys is astounding and Guðmundur's direction is totally assured. Given the setting this is a one of a kind new film experience on a set of old themes. Bravo! The two teenage actors, Baldur Einsasson (Thor) and Blær Hinriksson, (Kristján) are both talents to watch for in upcoming films from the Land of Geysers.