Svanurinn (2017)

	Also Known As: The swan, Der Schwan
	Year of first release: 2017
	Director: Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir
	Actors: Gríma Valsdóttir, Thor Kristjansson, Þuríður Blær Jóhannsdóttir
	Country: ISL, D, EST
	Genre: Drama
	Conditions of visioning: 04.11.2017, Filmhaus 1, NFDL2017, Icelandic with English subtitle
Synopsis: "You don’t have the eyes of a thief", says her great-aunt, when Sól (Valsdóttir) arrives. The nine-year-old girl was caught stealing and has been sent to the country to help on the farm. It is hoped that life among the mountains and fields, will help the young girl grow up. The seasonal worker Jón (Kristjansson) that Sól shares a room with is nice, but every night he writes in his notebook as if possessed.And then comes the daughter Ásta (Jóhannsdóttir).
Review: Sending children to the countryside so that they can experience the hard life sounds very tough to me, but is quite common, or at least was common, according to the director (during the Q&A). Fascinated by seeing Jón writing, Sól likes him. On top of the expected hard life requiring structured thinking and making, Sól experiences jealousy, anger, confidence, so that I wondered why she had been brought there by her family. She manages everything quite well.  The image is very arty, what is made possible by the Icelandic light and the scenery as well as by the German cinematographer. The coproduction involved Germany with the cinematography and Estonia with the sound. The remaining production being Icelandic, including the music by múm.
Rating: 5 /10