Country: Iceland, France, Ukraine
Language: Icelandic (English Subtitles)
4 November 2019 @ 7:00 PM
Length: 100 minutes

Halla (Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir) has just learned she’s been approved to adopt a child from a war-torn area in Ukraine, a long-time dream of hers. The only hitch is that she’s an eco-terrorist. The proliferation of heavy industry, urged on by unscrupulous politicians, has been ruining Iceland’s rugged landscape, and she’s taken action. Halla soon becomes the scourge of the aluminum industry and is determined to see things through, but she can’t help wondering: would it be more fulfilling to save hypothetical future lives or the life of the daughter she has yet to meet? Benedikt Erlingsson’s second feature drills deep into the inevitable dilemmas plaguing almost everyone committed to the greater good. The political satire here is precise and rich. It’s evident in the sleazy, Fox News–style way the powers that be stoop to demonize Halla. At the same time, there’s a puckish, postmodernist sense of humour percolating through the film. A tiny jazz band follows Halla everywhere she goes, reminding us that the revolution should be hopeful, not just gloom and doom. And it should come with cool music.