The Grandad

A film by Bjarni Haukur Thórsson

(Icelandic title Afinn)

The first Icelandic offering at the 2015 MSPIFF is a creaky family sit-com about a man entering his advanced years with the usual list of crises: a balky prostate, friends dying, alienation of family members and loss of work status. Sigurður Sigurjonsson is Gudjón, an obtuse sixty-ish patriarch whose life is crumbling around him. A variation on the theme of ‘father knows least’, it is fitfully funny; the actors are not very appealing (with the exception of Tinna Sverrisdóttir as Gudjón's daughter Magga), and the tone wavers uncomfortably between tragedy and farce. This trailer says it all:



The film shows surprisingly little of Iceland, especially in light of the fact that it was shot in widescreen, most scenes are interiors or nondescript areas of Kópavogur. It probably would have played better in a tighter aspect ratio, giving the interaction of the characters more impact.

Adapted from a play by the director.