Heartstone (film)
2016 film
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Heartstone (Hjartasteinn) is a 2016 Icelandic coming-of-age 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]
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- 1 September 2016 (Venice)
- 28 December 2016 (Iceland)
| Heartstone | |
|---|---|
Film poster | |
| Hjartasteinn | |
| Directed by | Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson |
| Written by | Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson |
| Cinematography | Sturla Brandth Grøvlen[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
- 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
The 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
The 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 Brandth Grøvlen 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]
