disgusting, overrated, pointless

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

"Eskimo Brother" is a colloquialism that I hear thrown around, which describes a bond between two people via having slept with the same partner. Hallgrímur Helgason's film 101 Reykjavik (2000) brings a new dynamic tension to this term. The movie's protagonist, Hlynur (Hilmir Snær Guðnason), after sleeping with Lola (Victoria Abril), a flamenco instructor from Spain who has been lodging with his mom (Hanna María Karlsdóttir) and him, finds out that this attractive dancer is his mother's lover. This information is difficult for Hlynur to pallet, and he becomes emotionally distraught because of his new step-mother's infidelity which results in him becoming the illegitimate father of his baby brother. 101 Reykjavik is an intriguing watch. It's a bold film, pertinent to Iceland where there is a strong sense of kinship identity in the tightknit country. With a national population of 280,000, an outsider could easily be mistaken that everyone knows everyone, and this film plays into that idea that your family business is theirs. Considering the new Íslendingabók database which is a project that aims to trace and record the genealogy of everyone in Iceland back to the settlement, it is a fascinating time to watch this movie that plays so heavily on complicated and taboo relationships. In a country where patronymic and matronymic surnames are used instead of unified family names (in Iceland, rather than Payne McMillan, I would be Payne Martinson—that is, son of Martin), 101 Reykjavik shows that humans are a less linear product of upbringing than an amalgamation of sources and experiences. In a sense, Helgason's film is about keeping up with the times. Released ten years before Icelandic Parliament adopted a gender neutral definition of marriage, we see Hlynur off put and perplexed by Lola's sexual identity that does not fit into his narrow scope of the homosexual/heterosexual dichotomy. 101 Reykjavik is a millennial coming of age story. Hlynur, who is unwilling to make radical changes to his lifestyle in the face of his new family structure. When his mother announces that she is going to raise Lola's baby with her, it does not occur to him that he should move out and start a life of his own, but instead must adapt to these abnormalities within the existing family structure. This film might drive some viewers crazy just by the nature of Hlynur who lacks any semblance of direction in life. He starts out living with his mother, surviving on welfare checks; unmotivated to go out and find a job, Hlynur spends most of his daylight hours surfing the internet and masturbating, and then going out at night to binge drink and party. His assumption though that there is nothing wrong with this sloth lifestyle but then condemns his mother and Lola who seize upon opportunities to expand their horizons make Hlynur an extended metaphor for those who usher in change when it benefits them but scoff it when poses personal obstacles. The film does take a judgmental tone toward people who are indignant to change because it is uncomfortable for them, however it does not advocate outright for modernity. Hlynur's obsession with internet pornography, for example shadow his relationships in the real world. And Hlynur all but ruins the magic of Christmas when, in order to save time cleaning up needles, he purchases a hideous aluminum colored tinsel tree that rotates while proclaiming, "Merry Christmas." At other times though, Helgason blends themes of globalization with the Icelandic landscape in an enjoyable and accepting way. Notably, the musical score throughout has a very futuristic sound, like robots or synthesizers, but the melodies sound folksy. Also, Lola who is the greatest outsider of anyone in the film—Hlynur even says that people don't come to Iceland; they are only born their—is fascinating and welcomed by almost everyone she meets, including Hófí, another woman who is romantically invested in Hlynur.The heavy mismatching and confusion of identities illustrates the cultural paradigm of old versus new that is prevalent in Icelandic cinema. For those American viewers that don't particularly care to read, they are in luck because much of the film is spoken in English, because that is the language the Spanish character and Icelandic people are able to speak in common. The fact that neither are able to communicate in the language most comfortable to them parallels nicely the uneasiness of these characters that are experimenting and developing while faced with serious emotional complication. I recommend this film because of its humorous confrontation of issues regarding identity and ability to defy new obstacles. Even though it deals with heavy issues such as addiction and adultery, it has a heartwarming ending. It's a great film for people that are anxious about the challenges that accompany increasing development and globalization.

101 Reykjavik was undoubtedly the best film I've seen come out of Iceland. The premise of the movie is funny by itself: a lazy, 30-year-old, unemployed guy named Hlynur (as played by Hilmir Snær Guðnason) lives with his mom (as played by Hanna María Karlsdóttir) in Reykjavik, Iceland, and finds himself going from out of luck, no prospects, and not a care in the world, to a potential father for the children of both his semi-girlfriend, Hófí (as played by Þrúður Vilhjálmsdóttir) and his mom's new Spanish girlfriend, Lola (as played by Victoria Abril), with whom he had an affair. Hlynur's reactions when he learned of the pregnancies were priceless. So, all things considered, this movie was pretty good. Not only was it a unique plot that had a twist or two thrown in, but the character development, the tone of the film, and even the soundtrack was good. Quite a few of the characters really grew up in the film, such as Hlynur, with his more responsible lifestyle at the end, his mother, and her finally coming out of the closet (despite the fact that apparently everybody knew, including Hlynur), and Lola, who ended up being a pretty solid mom, herself. The movie's tone was just great in my opinion. It was lighthearted, yet still serious. Hlynur had some serous problems, but he could always make light of them, which is an admirable trait. It shows an inner strength, to be able to make fun of oneself. The song, Lola, by Ray Davies is used in a variety of ways, including a few instrumental versions, which cracked me up, because (a) it's got the pun value, what with one of the main characters being named Lola, and (b) I was one of the only people in my group who got it, since it was the instrumental version that played first. Not only that, but there were a few completely unnecessary scenes that were thrown in that were just great. For example, there was this scene where Hlynur is at a family reunion, and he (quite graphically) imagines himself taking the shotgun off of the wall, and shooting his entire family. Now, while the plot would have been unaffected by the absence of this scene, it adds relatability, to the film, since everyone imagines doing that at some point or another. Plus, the scene itself is downright hysterical. Also, the film is pretty educational, on the whole. You get a pretty good handle on how boring Iceland is for its residents. 61% of the population lives in Reykjavik, and that's around 200,000 people, which is around the population of Des Moines, Iowa, which is the home to the world's largest truck stop. Not exactly a high-excitement zone. Which is what the character, Hlynur tells you. They live for the weekend, and all there is to do then is to drink and to be promiscuous. This is undoubtedly why he gets into the trouble he gets into. The ending of the movie was, in my opinion, truly phenomenal. I won't spoil it for you, the reader, though.But the movie isn't without faults. There are a few moments in the movie where you question the sanity of the characters. There's one scene where Hófí and Hlynur talk over an intercom at Hófí's apartment complex, and she casually tells him about how (spoiler alert) not only did she get an abortion, but it wasn't even his baby to begin with, after he had spent the last few months agonizing over it. The viewer and Hlynur both have the same reaction: "WTF?" I thought to myself, "Well, what was the point of that? What did she really stand to gain by messing with his head like that? That was below the belt (pun intended)." Despite the few shortcomings it had in the character department though, the good aspects of the film really shine through, while the inadequacies almost fall away, and I was left with a good feeling coming away from the film. It was one of those rare films where I left saying to myself, "I'm glad I watched that." It was, all in all, a thoroughly enjoyable experience. The movie had a good moral, too. "Everything will turn out fine." Hlynur stressed over his seemingly insurmountable problems, but, in the end, it wasn't nearly as bad as he thought. This is, I feel, life in a nutshell. It seems worse than it is, and when you finally realize that, all of your cares tend to melt away.

I've heard Iceland called "The Tahiti of the North Atlantic" with reference to a history of sexually loose behavior that goes well back to an era predating the "sexual revolution" in the United States, and I believe Halldor Laxness, Iceland's Nobel Prize-winning author, has a book or two along similar lines, featuring some sexually outrageous situation which is treated rather matter-of-factly, even light-heartedly, by the participants and all around them.The gentle fun in this film is of a piece with its very charming and amusing opening titles: We see, looking up at him, the hero, intent on performing rhythmic intercourse, with his glasses on; the girl whose charms he is enjoying reaches up to remove his glasses, and view her Romeo's eyes unobstructed; and we then see both the lady--and the titles--fading in and out of a serious blur as the hero continues his push-ups without his necessary spectacles.The comedy is about this young man of 30, who is a bit of a ne'er-do-well and good-for-nothing, who lazily collects welfare, lives with his working mother (his drunken bum of a father stumbles into him on the street from time to time), and how very strange developments in his mother's sex life lead to him finally becoming a man, earning a living, and being a "fine upstanding citizen" even as he takes on a semi-incestuous role in his mother's life, a role which would shock and horrify most Western viewers if the story were told a bit differently.It's a pretty, colorful film, very nicely acted, and captures very well the peculiar, quiet atmosphere of Iceland's capital. The film draws me into intimacy with its characters at once, and won me over immediately with its very low-key, simple, and very subtle humor.Icelanders number less than 300,000, and so are required to demonstrate competence in at least four major world languages in order to graduate from high school. Consequently, nearly all Icelanders under a certain age speak English very fluently. Since one of the major characters is a Spanish immigrant, characters all switch to English when they need to speak to her, and so many scenes are entirely in English that I would call the film bilingual.It's a very simple comedy, but although the sexual behavior of its main characters is most certainly racy, and the language very frank, I didn't find the film the least bit vulgar or crude, and, instead, found its humor pleasant, subtle, and engaging.My impression of Icelanders, when I visited there many years ago, was that they could be almost painfully shy people--and in a way, this is a SHY comedy about a very BRAZEN situation.I think it's WELL worth seeing and enjoying, and I would happily sit through it to enjoy it again.

Sexy Spaniard Victoria Abril heats up the wintry city of Reykjavík in 101 Reykjavík. Icelandic slacker Hlynur (Hilmir Snær Guðnason) lives on welfare with his mother, leading a depressed and aimless existence. His mother invites her flamenco teacher, Lola (Abril), to live with them; while his mother is away for New Year's Eve, Hlynur and Lola have a drunken fling. But upon her return, Hlynur's mother tells him that she and Lola are lesbian lovers--and it soon comes out that she and Lola are going to have a baby together. 101 Reykjavík seems to be the contemporary Icelandic version of American movies of the 1970s like Five Easy Pieces, in which anti heroic characters struggle to make sense of a world that doesn't seem to have any place for them. The movie is a bit unfocused, but its urban malaise feels genuine, if not particularly new. Abril is delightful, as always.