Aspect Ratio: 2.35 (anamorphic)
Colour: Colour
Synopsis
Halla (Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir) teaches signing, is well liked, independent, and cherishes a desire to adopt a child. She is also a secret solo eco-warrior, repeatedly attacking an aluminium smelter built in the mountains, and succeeding in halting negotiations by the government to built a new plant. Although she works alone she has support in the community - notably a civil servant mole in the choir and a farmer in the mountains.
Unexpectedly after 4 years and assuming that she is now too old to be accepted, she hears that she is being offered a girl to adopt from Ukraine who has lost her family in the war (yes there was a war going on well before 2022).
She has a twin sister (also played by Halldóra) who is more spiritual - a yoga teacher - who also applied to adopt at the same time. As she prepares to go to Ukraine to meet the child she undertakes one final action, this time stealing Semtext from a quarry and bringing down a pylon.
By this time the CIA and Israelis are helping the Icelandic government track her down and she has to dodge drones and dogs and helicopters and roadblocks to complete her mission. Unfortunately she had cut herself at the pylon, and having evaded her pursuers, as she is preparing to embark on the flight she sees they are conducting dna tests on all passengers. Fleeing from the airport she hears on the radio in the taxi that her sister has been arrested so she turns herself in.
In a fine twist her sister and the farmer collude in a plan to get her out of jail in time to go to Ukraine pretending to be her sister to collect the child.
As the film ends she is on the bus back from the orphanage with the girl as it breaks down on a flooded road and the passengers all have to disembark to wade through the water.
Reviews
2 reviewsby rogerco on Mon 7th Nov 2022 DVD proj @ home (Subtitled)
A fabulous film for our times
Summary
A great film, and not just because of the eco-theme. In short it's got everything.Full review
What's not to like. Its funny, serious, dramatic, tense, human, romantic, eco-themed, beautifully shot, stuning landscapes, strong characters, and surreal.
In short its got everything. Right from the start we get deeply involved in Halla's story with well paced reveals to more depths to her character - not only an eco-warrior, but she also teaches signing, and wants to adopt a child but may be too old, and has a twin sister who has a different kind of strength.
Even the ending is perfect, with Halla and the girl wading through floodwaters which can be seen as a metaphor for the coming troubles. Will they get to the other side - we hope so, and if anyone will she should.
by rogerco on Thu 25th Sep 2025 Keep Audio Launceston (Subtitled)
Cinema Subversio #1
Full review
First film for the Cinema Subversio series. Held in the back room at Keep Audio with our projector and Dale's sound system. About 12 people turned up which was good.
Film was greatly enjoyed by all. I had previewed it the week before to check it was ok and saw things I hadn't noticed before, and again this time. It is quite a rich film.
The lead character is wonderfully portrayed as a very grounded - sometimes literally when she is being hunted by drones and dogs, sometime in the sense of community and place - and resilient so it is entirely believable that she can teach herself to make a bomb and carry out the actions on her own.
Moments of comedy and tenderness lighten the mix. The open ended ending as she carries her new adopted daughter through floodwaters in Ukraine leave me knowing that she will prevail in whatever comes her way.