Children of Nature




Director Fridrik Thor Fridriksson produced this film in 1991. The subtle, atmospheric music is by Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson. The story centers around two elderly folks who meet in a retirement home. Porgeir has just arrived from his farm in the country, and he meets up with Stella, an old friend from his childhood days in the Western Fjords. The staff of the retirement home don't treat the elderly residents with much respect, and there are plenty of rules to chafe against, especially for a nonconformist like Stella. Stella and Porgeir conceive a plan to run away and go back to the northwest to rediscover their roots, and...but I won't give it all away.

This is a very beautiful, humorous, gentle and slow-paced film. It portrays the power and magnetism of the Icelandic countryside, the magic and mystery inherent in the wild, inexplicable environment, and the laconic, straightforward nature of its people. I recommend it to anyone with the patience to appreciate a very leisurely, distilled beauty.