Heartstone (Hjartasteinn) is a 2016 Icelandic drama film directed by Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson.[2] It tells the story of a strong friendship between two preteen boys in a small Icelandic fishing village and the emotional and sexual turbulence of adolescence.[3]
| Heartstone | |
|---|---|
.png) Film poster | |
| Hjartasteinn | |
| Directed by | Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson |
| Written by | Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson |
| Cinematography | Sturla Brandt Gøvlen[1] |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 129 minutes |
| Country | Iceland |
| Language | Icelandic |
It was screened in the Discovery section at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival.[4] On 9 September 2016, the film won the Queer Lion at the 73rd Venice Film Festival.[5] It was the first Icelandic film to be shown in a competitive section of the Venice Film Festival.[6] It was also nominated for the 2017 Nordic Council Film Prize[7] and won the 2017 Icelandic Edda Awards.[8]
Cast
edit- Baldur Einarsson as Þór/ Thor
- Blær Hinriksson as Kristján/ Christian
- Diljá Valsdóttir as Beta/ Beth
- Katla Njálsdóttir as Hanna/ Hannah
- Jónína Þórdís Karlsdóttir as Rakel/ Rachel
- Rán Ragnarsdóttir as Hafdís/ Tammy
- Søren Malling as Sven/ Robert
- Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir as Hulda/ Summer
- Gunnar Jónsson as Ásgeir/ Tyler
- Sveinn Ólafur Gunnarsson as Sigurður/ Brenda
Production
editThe film is Guðmundur's first feature-length film and he began working on the script in 2007.[1] It was shot in the fall of 2015 in Borgarfjörður eystri, Seyðisfjörður, Vopnafjörður, and Dyrhólaey.[9][10]
Reception
editThe film was well received in Iceland[1] and won the 2017 Icelandic Edda Awards.[8] The script, the dialogue, and the directing of young actors received praise.[1] The cinematography by Sturla Brandt Gøvlen amplified Icelandic nature, with long shots of coastlines and fjords.[1]
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 84% based on 25 reviews, with an average rating of 6.97/10.[11] On Metacritic, which assigns rating to reviews, the film has a weighted average score of 70 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[12]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Brynja Hjálmsdóttir (30 January 2017). "Hjartasteinn". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 7 December 2019 – via Klapptré.
- ^ "Heartstone by Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson wins an award in the Netherlands". Icelandic Film Centre. 7 September 2016. Archived from the original on 24 September 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
- ^ Rooney, David (31 August 2016). "Heartstone – Venice Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
- ^ "Heartstone". Toronto International Film Festival. 7 September 2016. Archived from the original on 14 September 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
- ^ Boni, Federico (11 September 2016). "Venezia 2016, i film in gara per il Queer Lion – Leone LGBT della Mostra". Cineblog. Blogo. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
- ^ "Heartstone becomes first Icelandic film to compete in Venice". Icelandic Film Centre. 14 September 2016. Archived from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
- ^ Pham, Annika (22 August 2017). "Five Nordic Films Nominated for Nordic Council Film Prize 2017". Nordisk Film & TV Fond. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
- ^ a b "Hjartasteinn sigurvegari kvöldsins". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 7 December 2019.
- ^ "Hjartasteinn fékk þrenn verðlaun í Varsjá". Vísir.is. 18 October 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
- ^ Ásta Hlín Magnúsdóttir (26 July 2016). "Kvikmynd tekin upp á Borgarfirði keppir um verðlaun á stórri hátíð". Austurfrétt.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 24 April 2019.
- ^ "Heartstone (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
- ^ "Heartstone Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
External links
edit
- Heartstone at IMDb