#Lof mér að falla

[celluloidrainbow]

LOF MÉR AÐ FALLA (2018) dir. Baldvin Zophoníasson When teenager Magnea meets Stella, everything changes. Stella’s no-holds-barred lifestyle drags them both into a world of drugs, which brings serious consequences for each of them, and their relationship. Twelve years later their paths cross again, and a reckoning between them becomes unavoidable. (link in title)

[eriellesudario]

A darker side to Icelandic society | My thoughts to ‘Let me fall’

July 11, 2019 – Arrival Day

I was on a plane to Keflavík International Airport and I’ve decided to indulge in some Icelandic media that the plane can provide me. Lof mér að falla (Let me fall) by Baldvin Z was the main headline for this flight’s Icelandic film selection. The plot intrigued me that I’ve decided to give it a shot – despite the on-board entertainment that I wouldn’t have enough time to finish it. Also one of the producers is Julius Kemp and he directed ‘Wallpaper – An Erotic Lovestory‘.

Sadly, and expectedly, I wasn’t able to finish the film and thought not much of it. However, whilst I was on the bus ride going to Reykjavik, I’ve decided to do some research to where I could get a copy since I want to at least know how it ends. What I was presented however wasn’t links of purchase but rather, an article by the Reykjavik Grapevine about how this film was based on true events!

The reality vs the fantasy

When we hear the word ‘Iceland‘ the first thing in our minds are either Europe, Bjork, Blue Lagoon, Vikings, etc. We think heavily on what was presented in front of us and rarely hear the issues that happen in the country. The closest thing I’ve heard about Icelandic issues is either the 2008 Financial Crisis and the Panama Papers.

I know each country has its flaws but in my experience, I haven’t heard anything when it comes to that relating to Iceland. And this says something because I tend to hear stuff from other countries. Maybe they’re that good in not making it that known to an international audience.

But this then skews our perspective of the country to think it’s perfect that the moment I arrived at my Airbnb, I was shocked. The first thing in my head was “am I at the right place?”.

And the reason I ask this is that my entire surroundings look so sketchy! Even my family and friends are confused as they didn’t believe that where we are at is where I was staying. Our surroundings made it look like we live in a really shady neighborhood.

You may say to me “but isn’t that like that in all places” and I agree too… until my dad read me the crime and liveability rate in Reykjavik. I don’t know where or how my dad got this info but he read to me some shocking stuff that if you look at our current surroundings to where we are staying – it answers a lot of questions.

And after reading what ‘Let Me Fall’ is about… it somewhat connects the dots.

Compare and contrast

Something that I find interesting about Icelandic films is that it depicts a different side of the Icelandic life. A lifestyle that’s hardly ever heard off based on what’s heavily advertised. I’m not just saying that as something blatant and obvious.

If you compare media from other countries – you’d see a balance on what gets depicted and what everyday life is like. Icelandic media, however – ITS DARK AF.

Even when watching Polite People (an Icelandic comedy ft Stefan Karl), a bunch of us LazyTown fans commented about it saying “Iceland has an odd way on depicting comedy“.

I needed to know how ‘Let Me Fall’ ends. Luckily, there was a screening of the film back in Sydney.

A depiction of a different life

“Let Me Fall” to me is a window to another side of the Icelandic society that you never get to hear or see on the media. While everyone out there is glorifying the landscape, the people, the experience, etc… films like this depict a different life.

It depicts a darker time in modern Icelandic society that you think that it’s impossible or unheard off… but it’s sadly true. The whole film was hard to swallow as you see the girls struggle and there is this whole question of trust and power in play. It also depicts the downfall and consequences when it comes to drug addiction and who gets affected.

I felt so bad for Magnea as she’s living the perfect life but she was driven in the wrong direction. Even in the start – one of the minor characters (who’s a drug dealer) was concerned for her education. Then later on, you see Stella and Magnea together and I just want to stab Stella so much because Magnea didn’t deserved this.

You see everything unfold and the consequences it brings and it still shocks me that this event actually happened in such a country.

I may not have the right to comment about the life of the people in a country I just visited once but this film did open my eyes. Let me fall showed me what’s on the other side of the coin.

This film is worth a watch. It’s dark and powerful and the soundtrack is amazing. Good to see something different.

[filmphilics]

Recommendation of the week: Let Me Fall (2018)

Dir.: Baldvin Zophoníasson

Cast.: Lára Jóhanna Jónsdóttir, Álfrún Laufeyjardóttir, Gary Anthony Stennette, Elín Sif Halldórsdóttir, Sólveig Arnarsdóttir.

Genre: Drama

Plot: Drawing on true stories and interviews with the families of addicts, this harrowing portrait of addiction follows Stella and Magneav through the decades as precarious teenage years morph into perilous adulthoods.

Filmphilics score: 8/10

[betapiebrony]

This needs more views  

[hatari-translations]

Hi! I'm trying to learn icelandic on my own and I've already found really good music to listen to, but sadly, didn't find many icelandic movies :( would you please recommend me a few to watch?

Right, so I don’t watch a lot of Icelandic movies. There are various highly acclaimed ones from the last few years that I just haven’t seen and can’t personally recommend. Lof mér að falla, for instance, is apparently very intense and about drug addiction and has Biðröð mistaka in it; Kona fer í stríð I’ve heard a lot of good things about, and is about an Icelandic farmer who becomes a radical environmentalist activist; also good things about Andið eðlilega, about an asylum seeker facing deportation and a single mother; Hjartasteinn is some kind of coming-of-age story about two boys one of whom is gay, which my dad found a bit too long but was also widely praised; but I haven’t seen any of them and have no idea if they live up to it.

There is one from a year or two ago called Undir trénu that I have seen, buuuuuut I actually kind of hated it, so can’t recommend. Apparently a lot of people did like it and it won some awards, though, so maybe you’d enjoy it more than I did? It’s about some terrible, terrible, terrible people and their awful petty wars against each other and can’t decide if it’s a bleakly tragic family drama or a black comedy. Content warning for incredibly enraging and upsetting animal death that’s supposed to be funny I guess?? ugh I did not enjoy this movie, buuuut won’t judge if you do, different strokes.

My own personal favorite Icelandic movies are: Mýrin, a dark murder mystery based on a book by popular Icelandic mystery author Arnaldur Indriðason; Bjarnfreðarson, a sequel film to TV series Næturvaktin/Dagvaktin/Fangavaktin, concluding those characters’ stories, probably pretty confusing if you haven’t seen the series; and Astrópía, extremely silly quasi-fantasy film about a woman whose boyfriend goes to prison, leading to her getting a job at a comic book store, befriending some nerds, joining their D&D group, and having silly elaborate fantasy sequences about their D&D adventures. It’s wonderful and very ridiculous and extremely endearingly Icelandic and contains a random extended homage to The Shawshank Redemption, but is probably mostly fun if you’re very immersed in geek culture and get all the references. So two out of my three favorite Icelandic films are kind of very specific and may not be the best source to draw from. Mýrin is good and standalone, though, and features the main character casually scooping the eye out of a sheep’s head that he bought at the drive-through at BSÍ. The true spirit of Iceland.

[danmarsciti]

it’s really frustrating when some independent films don’t get released for home video at all. fuck. 

[bokmenntapaelingar]

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Staðlota aftur (!!!!)

Meirihluti tímans fór nú reyndar bara í pælingar eftir áhorf okkar á myndinni Andið Eðlilega. Þegar ég sá að við áttum að horfa á hana heima var ég mjög peppuð; trailerinn leit mjög vel út, og virtist vera einmitt sams konar mynd og ég myndi njóta. Ég segi viljandi ekki “hefði gaman af” því það er takmarkað hvað hægt er að skemmta sér yfir myndum sem fjalla um jafn þunga hluti og þessi mynd. Líðanin er svipuð (en þó kannski ekki jafn ýkt) og eftir áhorfið á Lof mér að falla, Requiem for a Dream og American History X. Allar þær myndir fjalla um erfið málefni á þungan hátt - en þó má finna vonarglætu í lok þessarar kvikmyndar, öfugt við t.d. Requiem og Lof mér að falla (sem þó skartar sömu heljarleikkonunni, Kristínu Þóru Haraldsdóttur).

Út frá áhorfi svona myndar er hægt að velta sér lengi lengi uppúr því hvernig hægt væri að (ef hægt er?) kenna hana; ráða unglingar við svo þung málefni? Miðað við að unglingar kynnast mörgu mun verra, ásamt því að sögusviðið í myndinni gæti jafnvel verið raunveruleiki einhverra jafnaldra þeirra, þá getur það varla verið vandamálið. En ráða kennarar við að kenna slíka mynd á hlutlausan hátt?

Listir eru gjarnan nokkurs konar andóf gegn ríkjandi kerfi, og því er mjög algengt að í kvikmyndum, bókmenntum og alls konar annars konar list, er kerfið ekki dregið upp í fallegri mynd. Slíkt er afar áberandi í Andið eðlilega - eða hvað? Er myndin sem dregin er upp af kerfinu á einhvern hátt hlutlæg mynd sem sýnir það í sem svartasta og kaldasta ljósi?

Sjálf á ég erfitt með að ímynda mér annað en að myndin sýni í raun hvernig kerfið virkar - allt frá lokuðum dyrum í útlendingastofnun til hvernig lögreglan heimsækir flóttamannaheimili um miðja nótt til að senda hælisleitendur af landi brott. Hins vegar tekur myndin vissa afstöðu - hún lýsir þessu ferli á afar neikvæðan hátt. Vissulega eru einhverjir á landinu sem líta ekki sömu augum á landamæragæsluna sem á sér stað.

En nei svona án djóks, mér persónulega finnst að eitt það mikilvægasta sem hægt er að kenna er samkennd. Hins vegar hefur kapítalisminn sem ræður ríkjum í meirihluta heimsins einbeitt sér að því að útrýma mikilvægi samkenndarinnar. En án samkenndarinnar og samvinnu væri maðurinn ekki á þeim stað þar sem hann hefur komist á, eftir mörgþúsund ára þróun. Kapítalismi og þessi “ég ég ég” hugsun er mjög ný af nálinni. Þrátt fyrir það hefur honum tekist að stofna plánetunni okkar og nánst öllu lífríki hennar í það mikla hættu að við eigum erfiðlega afturkvæmt. Því velti ég fyrir mér hvernig þessir sjomlar sem halda svona mikið uppá kapítalismann hugsi; hvernig í fjandanum fá þeir það út að sósíalismi virki alls ekki á meðan kapítalismi er lausnin að öllu. Vissulega er kommúnismi ekkert endilega lausnin að öllu.

Hins vegar er maðurinn í eðli sínu félagsvera og því hlýtur að vera ljóst að hópar og samvinna eru leiðin að árangri.

Jæja, komin vel út fyrri efnið í einhverjar vafasamar og djúpar pælingar. Beil.