There's something about Icelandic films that attract me. Maybe it's the austere, beautiful landscape or the sense that I'm watching something that seems close to home but isn't. TIFF Programmer, Steve Gravestock mentioned his penchant for Nordic films when introducing COUNTRY WEDDING (Sveitabrúðkaup),my first and only film on this first day of TIFF 08. Directed by Valdís Óskarsdóttir, the improvised wedding tale benefits from the skills she has honed as an editor for such directors as Lars Von Trier and Gus Van Sant. Shot in 7 days and edited over 8 months, this 99 minute improvised road trip is tightly cut, well-paced, and well-acted by a talented band of theatre-trained actors ( I especially loved Elvis and Grandma). In comparing the similaries between Iceland and Canada, Gravestock believes that "both cultures hold the conviction that the countryside is somehow purer and calmer than the city – a faith that is inevitably called into question the minute human beings show up." Go see Country Wedding. I bet you'll be picking out the family member or friend that resembles someone you know very well.
The film is also generously populated with tunes by Tiger Lillies,a group that Valdís Óskarsdóttir first heard about in London, England.
COUNTRY WEDDING
Sunday September 07 10:00PM AMC 4
Friday September 12 12:00PM VARSITY 4
My next trip to Iceland will be my Press screening of another wedding story, White Night Wedding
Visit www.tiff08.ca for public screenings and ticket information
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