101 Reykjavik
Directed by Baltasar Kormakur
Stars Victoria Abril, Hilmir Snaer Gudnason, Hanna Maria Karlsdottir
2000 Sydney Film Festival
REVIEW BY MARGARET ALLUM
101 Reykjavik is the postcode for the part of Iceland's capital that is off the tourist circuit, the poorer end of town where 28-year-old Hlynur (Hilmir Snaer Gudnason) still lives at home with his mother in their very cramped flat.
Surviving on unemployment benefits, Hlynur does nothing but laze at home during the day and hang out with his mates at night. His mother despairs of him ever making anything of himself, but Hlynur is far from motivated. He lives in the most boring part of the world, "the people who live in Reykjavik are only here because they were born here", he proclaims. Besides, why do anything when unemployment benefits while living at home make for a reasonably comfortable living.
Little is he to realise that a Spanish whirlwind is to enter his mother's and his life. The very sexy Lola (Victoria Abril) teaches flamenco dancing at a local dance school, and Hlynur's mother, her pupil, is slowly infatuated with her.
Soon they are in a relationship, but then, before long, Hlynur finds himself alone with Lola in the flat while his mother is away, and he embarks on a relationship with her as well. This is not the only complication in his life — his sometime girlfriend, who he treats very badly, has announced that he is the father of her yet to be born child, and Lola soon has some news of her own.
Variety film critic Derek Elley wrote "Imagine an Almodovar comedy played out in the snowy wastes of a grungy Icelandic 'hood and you're still only halfway to 101 Reykjavik". The similarities are certainly assisted by the presence of Abril, a star of many Almodovar films.
This is an insight into the Scandinavia not featured in IKEA catalogues. It's not all skiing and Haagen Daas ice cream, it's urban and the snow is grey.
This story could be set in any city, but what makes it wonderful is that it is set in glorious Iceland at its quirky best. It's a film about sexual freedom and family obligations, and looks at unemployment in a different way. What other snow-filled film would feature a character such as one of Hlynur's friends with a pet iguana called Thorir, who demands a year round temperature of 42oC? No problem, this is Reykjavik.