Film Archive

Virgin Mountain

Another View 2015 / Fúsi / Iceland, Denmark 2015

Fúsi is a mountain of a man. Fúsi is a loner and an outsider – until he meets trash collector Sjofn at a dance course. A love story about people on the fringes of society from Icelandic director Dagur Kári, thrice awarded at New York’s Tribeca festival.

Synopsis

Forty-something Fúsi’s greatest joys involve building model airplanes and painting tanks. On a large table he is reconstructing famous World War II battles. The other joys of the world leave this obese metal fan completely cold, and he even still lives with his mother. But then her boyfriend gives him lessons in line-dancing for his birthday. Fúsi doesn’t want to go anywhere but thanks to some bad weather he meets vivacious blonde Sjofn and manages to invite her to his favorite Thai bistro. Virgin Mountain plays out at a calm northern tempo that takes in the slow development of emotion. Although the picture smacks of a love story, director Kári steers clear of superficial kitsch by means of a rigorous script. He is far more interested in the humanistic message, in saving the lives of people who, for one reason or another, have taken on the role of social outsiders. Virgin Mountain screened at the Berlinale and took three awards from the Tribeca festival.

Šimon Šafránek

About the film

94 min / Color, DCP

Director Dagur Kári / Screenplay Dagur Kári / Dir. of Photography Rasmus Videbæk / Music Slowblow / Editor Andri Steinn Guðjónsson, Oliver Bugge Coutté, Dagur Kári Pétursson / Art Director Hálfdán Pedersen / Producer Baltasar Kormákur, Agnes Johansen / Production RVK Studios / Coproduction Nimbus Film / Cast Gunnar Jónsson, Ilmur Kristjánsdóttir, Sigurjón Kjartansson, Franziska Una Dagsdóttir / Sales BAC Films / Distributor Artcam Films

About the director

Dagur Kári (b. 1973, Paris) grew up in Iceland. In 1999 he graduated from Copenhagen’s National Film School of Denmark with the award-winning dramatic short Lost Weekend (2000). He contributed to the story showcase Dramarama (Villiljós, 2001), debuting in features with Noi the Albino (Nói Albinói, 2003), the story of a dysfunctional teen that was awarded at the Rotterdam IFF and also screened at Karlovy Vary. The bittersweet comedy Dark Horse (Voksne mennesker, 2005) was presented in the Cannes IFF’s Un Certain Regard section and at Karlovy Vary. In 2009 he came out with The Good Heart, an English language tragicomedy set in a New York bar. His latest, Virgin Mountain, premiered at the Berlinale, while at Tribeca it took Best Film, Best Screenplay, and Best Actor.