A struggling mother works in a pre-school by day and sells herself by night to sustain; a successful writer lives alone and drowns himself in alcohol daily unable to come to terms with a tragedy from his past; an injured soccer player turned hotshot banker finds it tough to resist worldly temptations in spite of his charming family. These three plot lines collide to give us a taste of ‘Life in a Fishbowl’.
Language:
Icelandic
Running Time:
130 min
Rating:
–
Release date:
10 August 2014
Directed by:
Baldvin Zophoníasson
Produced by:
Julius Kemp
Ingvar Thordarson
Written by:
Baldvin Zophoníasson
Birgir Örn Steinarsson
Starring:
Hera Hilmar
Thor Kristjansson
Ingvar Þórðarson
Sveinn Ólafur Gunnarsson
Þorsteinn Bachmann
Music by:
Ólafur Arnalds
Shot by:
Jóhann Máni Jóhannsson
Editing by:
Sigurbjorg Jonsdottir
Distributed by:
Films Boutique

What’s Hot

  • Hera Hilmar, who plays the role of Eik, looks strikingly similar to Alicia Silverstone & gets a lot of scope to perform. She does justice to her complex role by exhibiting moments of genuine love when she is with her child or the writer and anger whenever she meets her grandfather.
  • Þorsteinn Bachmann looks to be the perfect choice for the role of the writer, Mori. He mouths some cheeky dialogues & some philosophical ones with equal poise. The banker, played by Thor Kristjansson brings out the character transformation over the course of the movie wonderfully through his changing expressions.
  • The camera work must be appreciated for the unconventional angles and the focus shifts that have been used aptly. The music also plays a part in creating the feeling of bleakness that exists throughout.
  • Baldvin Zophoníasson & Birgir Örn Steinarsson have used a non-linear narrative format specifically with respect to Mori’s plot line which has worked well. The dialogues also seem to have been given careful consideration with the final shocking monologue from Eik taking the cake. The ending though predictable has been brought out well on screen.

What’s Not

  • It is actually pretty difficult to realize that three plot lines intersect make this film particularly because the film moves dreadfully slow in initial few minutes.
  • The nudity though unavoidable makes the film unsuitable for release in many countries which have strict censorship.

Badges

Screened at

The Chennai International Film Festival (CIFF) 2014

The Chennai International Film Festival (CIFF) 2014 scheduled from Dec 18 -25 is an annual film festival organised by a film society, the Indo Cine Appreciation Foundation (ICAF), with the support of the government of Tamil Nadu, the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce and the Film Federation of India.

Event Info

Date of Screening : 19-Dec-2014
Venue and Time : Inox – 3, 5.00 PM

About

Verdict

Verdict Stamp

A poignant tale with 3 plots colliding, that deserves a watch for the wonderful performances from all the actors.