It’s been almost a year since the last Islendingadagurinn and I have yet to see the beach this summer. What’s more, my love for Iceland has reached an all-time high this year. Just look at these good times had by myself and DJ Tinyfruit at the Sigur Ros show:
Clearly Iceland is the source of all of life’s joys and I was therefore not surprised when a friend emailed me saying that Gimli, Manitoba, Canada will be hosting the Gimli Film Festival during the Icelandic Festival this August. What, you ask, could possibly be better than watching films on a beach? Why, watching a film on a beach about a psychotherapist who is starting to hear profane voices coming from a children’s cartoon show, of course! The film is called “Lucid” and was screened at the Toronto Film Festival.
Not only that, “Screaming Masterpiece”, a film with interviews from members of Sigur Ros, will be shown on the beach as well. This is going to be sweet.
Lucid
Director: Sean Garrity
Length: 89 minutes
Country of Production: Canada
Cast: Jonas Chernick, Callum Keith Rennie, Michelle Nolden, Lindy Booth Run
Synopsis:
Joel Rothman, a thirty-two-year-old psychotherapist, is having trouble sleeping. His wife has left him after an adulterous incident at the cottage. He fills the hours of insomnia obsessively listening to her angry voicemail message and drawing sheep on the wall. He finds it tough to work and, worse, can no longer communicate with his distressed daughter. And then there’s the notable decline of his driving skills.
Joel’s newest patients are suffering from various symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and, under his compromised care, are rapidly deteriorating. Hitting rock bottom – he begins to hear profanities erupting from a children’s cartoon show – Joel finds his life has completely unraveled and he is in serious danger of losing his job. Although he persists in trying to understand what is happening to him and his charges, he has become as unstable as they are and the line between doctor and patient starts to blur.
Screaming Masterpiece
Director: Ari Alexander Ergis Magnusson
Length: 87 minutes
Country of Production: Iceland
Cast: N/A
Synopsis:
Screaming Masterpiece asks the question: why is the small Icelandic community is so music mad? Is it the isolation or ‘the long nights with nothing to do but drink’ as is implied? With interviews with native musicians from Björk, Sigur Rós and Múm, to stories of the teenage band Nilfisk who end up opening for the Foo Fighters when they visit the island. A captivating documentary about the contemporary music scene in this unique island culture.
