morrison-dylan-fan Catching up on the great Canadian Nordic Noir-inspired series Cardinal,I took a look to see what BBC 4 were replacing it with. Recently seeing the better than expected (partly) based on a true story lost at sea flick In the Heart of the Sea,I was intrigued to find BBC 4 airing a lost at sea Nordic "ripped from the headlines" movie,which led to me going back into the sea.The plot-The Westman Islands 1984:Waving goodbye to his family, Guðlaugur Friðþórsson goes and joins the rest of the crew so they can set off to sea. Going out deep into the oceans,the crew put the fishing nets out. Unexpectedly,causing the ship to sink. Getting his head above water, Friðþórsson witnesses the death of each fellow crew member. Looking across the waves.the only land Friðþórsson can see is a five hour swim away.View on the film:Lost at sea with Friðþórsson,co-writer/(with Jón Atli Jónasson) director Baltasar Kormákur makes pushes the viewer into the depths of the oceans,via thunderous waves lashing the camera and an icy score sharply being used to crack the shivering temperature against the rocks and the high winds. Looking at Kormákur's life on shore, Kormákur contrasts the clarity at sea with raw shot on VHS "flashbacks" which gives them a fading memory atmosphere.Spending most of the film with Friðþórsson on his own,the screenplay by Jónasson & Kormákur impressively surfs a wave of tension from the memory of each fallen member bring the isolation home to Friðþórsson. Along with the failed sea adventure,the writers diving into Friðþórsson's family life heightens the emotion of each stroke Friðþórsson makes to survive. Before going to the US and becoming an Icelandic sex icon (!) Ólafur Darri Ólafsson gives an excellent performance as Friðþórsson,thanks to Ólafsson unleashing his roar for survival with a firm grip on the humble roots at home,as Friðþórsson finds himself lost at sea.

Leofwine_draca THE DEEP isn't an amazing film but it is a heartfelt and compelling one that tells an amazing true story. It's also one of those outdoor 'wilderness' type films that explores man's survival against the elements, and it has the novelty of being an Icelandic film too.The story takes place in 1984 and tells of a group of fishermen being flung into the freezing Atlantic when their fishing boat sinks. One of the men decides to swim for land and the film tells his difficult tale with death and danger dogging his every stroke. The narrative involvement is slim, but the film offers fascinating visuals that truly get across the sublime nature of the frozen north.Olafur Darri Olafsson (BEOWULF & GRENDEL) is excellent in the leading role and gives a truly naturalistic performance. The latter part of the film almost moves into X-Files territory but retains the realism throughout. Director Baltasar Kormakur seems to spend his time either making movies in his own country or popping over to Hollywood for the likes of 2 GUNS and CONTRABAND, but this is definitely the most interesting - and oddly enchanting - film I've seen from him.

l_rawjalaurence Not to be confused with the Peter Benchley-inspired Hollywood film of the same name, THE DEEP is one of those tales which through a combination of brilliant photography and taut structure is guaranteed to attract critical plaudits.Shot in a series of grays and blues, appropriate to its locations, Bergsteinn Björgúlfsson's cinematography conjures up a world where human beings are quite literally at the mercy of the elements: despite their sophisticated devices for communicating or for carrying out their daily responsibilities, they have no answer to the power of the sea. We realize from this film that humankind is no more than a pawn in a greater elemental game.Having said that, I am still unsure as to whether the film has anything more to say. At heart it's a masculine-focused tale of comradeship, in a profession where people have few friends, due to the precariousness of their work. They never know if and whether they will return; and if they do, there is no guarantee of future work. Buffeted by the sea and by the pressures of making a living, the fishermen inhabit their own world; they try to keep memories of their home lives through letters - or even taking a dog with them - but these mementos are insignificant in comparison to the rigors of their profession.In its downbeat way, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson's central characterization is certainly memorable, but we end up feeling sorry that he and his fellow fishermen have to put their lives so regularly on the line just to make ends meet.

Sindre Kaspersen Icelandic screenwriter, actor, producer and director Baltasar Kormákur's eight feature film which he co-wrote with Icelandic screenwriter Jón Atli Jónasson and co-produced, is inspired by real events in the life of an Icelandic man named Guðlaugur Friðþórsson and four other men which took place in 1984 on one of the Westman Islands called Heimaey. It premiered in Iceland, was screened in the Special Presentations section at the 37th Toronto International Film Festival in 2012, was shot on locations in the North Atlantic Ocean and is an Iceland-Norway co-production which was produced by producer Agnes Johansen. It tells the story about a fisherman named Gulli who lives in a coastal town and who is few days away from heading out to the sea on a fishing boat called Breki-VE with his crew members.Finely and engagingly directed by Nordic filmmaker Baltasar Kormákur, this finely paced and somewhat fictional reconstruction which is narrated mostly from the main character's point of view, draws a gripping portrayal of an Icelandic man and the crucial decision he has to make after a boat accident in the North Atlantic Ocean. While notable for its naturalistic and atmospheric milieu depictions and reverent cinematography by Icelandic cinematographer Bergsteinn Björgúlfsson, this character-driven story depicts a commendable study of character and contains a great score by composers Daniel Bjarnason and Ben Frost.This dramatic, humorous and modestly existentialistic drama which is set in the Vestmannaeyar in Iceland during a spring in 1984 and where a man ends up in a situation where the deep is below him, the sky above him and his only option is to swim or die, is impelled and reinforced by its cogent narrative structure, substantial character development and the involving and efficiently understated acting performance by Icelandic actor Ólafur Darri Ólafsson. A heartrending, inspirational, mythical and invigorating true story which is dedicated to Icelandic fishermen.