Guðný Halldórsdóttir

  • Guðný Halldórsdóttir – Veðramót AKA The Quiet Storm (2007)

    2001-2010DramaGuðný HalldórsdóttirIceland

    A handful of idealistic twenty-somethings discover love and trust isn’t always enough in this period drama from writer and director Gudny Halldorsdottir. It’s the early Seventies, and law student Selma wants to do more than simply defend people in court; she’s eager to make a difference in the lives of others, and when her boyfriend Bloffi joins the staff of Vedramot, a home for delinquent teenagers with emotional issues, she leaves school to work beside him. Selma, Bloffi and their friends believe that an open environment where the young inmates have the opportunity to discuss their feelings and the circumstances that led them into a life of crime will do more good than traditional disciplinary techniques. However, not all the youngsters at Vedramot respond to this laid-back approach, and Disa, a product of a severely abusive home, openly encourages the other teens to flout the few rules they’re asked to follow. In time, conflicts between the staff and the students escalate into violence, leading to tragedy and bloodshed. Vedramot (aka The Quiet Storm) was inspired in part by Halldorsdottir’s own experiences working at a home for underage offenders in the Seventies.Read More »

  • Guðný Halldórsdóttir – Kristnihald undir Jökli AKA Under the Glacier (1989)

    1981-1990ArthouseDramaGuðný HalldórsdóttirIceland

    This is the story of a spiritual and physical odyssey, comic and strange, made by a young theological student. Our hero is Umbi (an acronym for emissary of the bishop), sent by him to undertake an important investigation at Snæfell glacier. In particular he is to look into the conduct and behavior of Jón Prímus, the old pastor at Snæfell. Fantastic rumours are rife: amongst other things it is said that a corpse is lodged in the glacier! Armed with his tape recorder and notebook, Umbi embarks upon his mission. He tries to question the weird locals, a weird lot, but gets evasive answers. Slowly he is dragged into a quagmire of strange happenings and his efforts to understand only make him confused. If at the beginning he is a chiper, a mere device, by the end of the story he is inextricably involved, a committed participant in the bizarre events.Read More »

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