Life in a Fishbowl (2014)
Three tales of three people who have a lasting effect on one another. A young writer whose career is skyrocketing finds himself in a stormy marriage. He divorces his wife after the death of their daughter, shuts himself from the outside world and drinks himself to death over a twenty-year period.
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Icelandic writer-director Baldvin Zophoníasson's 2nd feature film is dark but great. The screenplay, co-written with psychologist Birgir Örn Steinarsson, is strong and nuanced. The acting from Hilmar, Bachmann and Kristjansson is solid.
This movie is dismal and cold as an Icelandic winter and overloaded with just about as many 'topical' social ills as could be formatted into a movie. We are treated to yet another convoluted style (now trendy) of telling a simple story - this time about a bunch of disenfranchised social misfits with whom we are expected to sympathize. One of these is a very young unmarried mother (shockingly abused by her grandfather) who now supports herself and her young child by working at a day care centre. She then prostitutes herself by night to an assortment of grotesque clientele - these tend to be made up of macho sportsmen who have sex with blow-up dolls, married so-called 'family' men, or older misfits (a somewhat odd lifestyle choice for one wanting to escape an abused past). Next is a writer, who through the tragedy of a bad marriage has become a cheap drunk who roams the streets getting brutally beat up and robbed by local criminal types. Then there's a group of young hotshot bankers bent on making it to the top (by any means) who do big time 'party' drugs and cheat on their devoted, 'dearly loved' wives. If you can't wait to follow the exploits of this bunch you may be right for this never ending slog - it clocks in at nearly 2.1/2 debilitating hrs. The images are often as murky as the midnight sun and are presented in the lower cost medium of hand-held cameras. Having been entered in festivals as a contender for best Icelandic film - it suggests there may not have been much else around that year. Not a particularly desirable look for Icelandic Films. Might have been much more interesting if story elements weren't so unrelentingly downbeat and sordid.While overall performances are quite convincing, the story generally fits with what you might expect to find on the trash-fest World Movies channel.
This movie, released in the English speaking world as The Life In A Fishbowl (the original Icelandic title just refers to the street name where all main characters live), was a huge success in Iceland, showered with praise and awards.However I was deeply disappointed by what I saw. The movie is supposed to be some sort of a puzzle with many plot lines and characters coming together to give us a portrait of the modern Iceland. But it just does not work. The pieces do not fit. Everything is falling apart. First of all, there is a story about Eik a single mother who works at nursery school and moonlights as prostitute. Why is she doing it? Does she want to quit? No answer. Yes, she has a dark secret. By the end of the movie it is revealed that at the age of 6 she was molested by her own grandfather. What on earth does it add to the story? Nothing. This tragic accident does not seem to have affected her life in any way. She is very pleased with her life. She is happy she gets paid for having sex with ugly old men. So, why should we care? Then there is Mori. He is a washed down writer. His daughter died in a drowning accident many years ago. Presently he roams the streets and drinks vodka. At least this guy can evoke some sort of sympathy from the audience. But in the end he sells his big house, gets lots of money and leaves cold Iceland for warm Italy to start a new life. So, why should we care after all? And there is Solvi. He is a businessman who tries to buy a large patch of land to build a hotel. His story is in the movie just for no reason except for we can get a glimpse at the luxury lifestyle some Icelanders enjoy (mansions, big cars, yachts). So, why should we care? All in all The Life In A Fishbowl looks like one of those over clichéd, standard art house dramas you can find in dozens at any European Film Festival.
Vonarstræti is a great film.It tells the stories of ordinary people in Iceland during the - I think - buildup of the country's financial crisis in 2008.Many things separate Vonarstræti from similar films; but above all is perhaps Baldvin Zophoníasson's ability to avoid revealing too much; he never underestimates his audience.And the stories are simple. The storytelling is simple. The dialogue is real, the performances heartfelt. Hera Hilmar is particularly great, so is the dynamic between her character Eik and Móri, the plagued, yet peaking writer.Adding to this is the fact that nothing we see on screen is unnecessary to the development of the story. The story is also constantly developing in its own way.The cinematography is simple and "just there". Nothing fancy here - just like the stories. This simplicity is not just great for realism, it is almost a prerequisite.On the other hand, it can be argued that the film has its flaws. They include over dramatization of certain scenes, and a potentially bad plot choice (potentially because it's subjective - you be the judge). But even this never goes overboard.Vonarstræti is overall a great piece of Icelandic social realism. One star deducted for minor flaws, considering that the 10/10 should be reserved for very special cases.9/10