Director Jón Bjarki Magnússon and producer Hlín Ólafsdóttir with musician Teitur Magnússon and Þorgerður Gefjun Sveinsdóttir. Photo by Thule Photo.
Half Elf was finally premiered for crowdfunding supporters, friends and family members in art cinema Bíó Paradís in Reykjavík, on the 24th of March. The cinema premiere that was scheduled the day after and to be followed by open screenings has however been postponed yet again, due to stricter covid regulations that came into effect on the eve of 24th of March.
Director Jón Bjarki Magnússon and producer Hlín Ólafsdóttir were glad to be finally able to screen the film for those closest to them in such intimate environment. We share some photos from the event and look forward to the next screening.
Jón Bjarki with his father, Magnús H. Traustason, most probably singing “Merry are all elves now”. Photo by Thule Photo.Hlín and Jón Bjarki with his grandfathers coffin maker, Hálfdán Hálfdánarson, and the the priest that took care of his burial, Hjálmar Jónsson. Photo by Thule Photo.Þóra Jónasdóttir, Helga Jónsdóttir, cousins of the director, and Ingunn Jónsdóttir, mother of the director, arrived with their masks on like other guests. Photo by Thule Photo.Hlín Ólafsdóttir welcomed Einar Guðmudnsson and Aron Freyr Heimisson which arrived with some flowers for the makers of the film. Photo by Thule Photo.Getting ready for the screening. Photo by Thule Photo.Jón Bjarki and Hlín said a few words before and after the screening. The film starts. Photo by Skapti ÓlafssonThe directors father, Magnús H. Traustason, brought a rock from the newly erupted volcano to the screening, oh and some elven hats for the makers of the film! A special moment indeed. Photo by Thule Photo.Hlín with her mother, Stella Skaptadóttir, and uncle, Steinn Skaptason. Photo by Thule Photo.Director Jón Bjarki Magnússon with his editing consultant and friend Sigurður Eyþórsson. Photo by Thule Photo.The coffin maker, the director and the priest. Photo by Thule Photo.Jón Bjarki and Hlín with his father, Magnús H. Traustason and wife, Dagbjört Matthíasdóttir. Photo by Thule Photo.Einar Guðmundsson, Aron Freyr Heimisson, Jón Bjarki Magnússon, Hlín Ólafsdóttir, María Hrund and Sigurður Eyþórsson. Photo by María Hrund.
“The film Half Elf (2020) is a piece of cinematic genius, managing to negotiate between lighthearted sweetness and the intense processes of ageing. It sucks us into the raw landscape, chilling us with the brutal waves and craggy rocks, bleak yet hauntingly stunning depictions of the Icelandic town,” writes anthropological filmmaker Lula Wattam in a blog for the RAI Film Festival. Lula interviewed Magnússon about the making of the film, an interview you can watch here above, and later on she wrote a review on the film.
She continues: “These aesthetic triumphs make the warmth of Trausti and Hulda’s house even more inviting. The film opens with a phone conversation between the protagonist Trausti and his grandson, the filmmaker. He explains a dream in which elves make him sing for them, all through the night. Trausti doesn’t stop singing throughout the film. It is poetically punctuated by these rhythmic, almost chant-like folk tales he sings of the lost sailors who never reached home, cats, fjords and the winds. Jon Bjarki Magnusson intricately weaves together a ‘modern Icelandic fairytale’, inviting us to explore the life of the lightkeeper preparing for death and his wishes to integrate ‘elf’ into his identity.”
Lula describes how the delicate soundscaping of this film “draws the viewer into a dream-like state as we are invited into the normality of the everyday existence of Trausti and his wife Hulda. We hear the radio, telling tales of elves and their limericks, the songs of the couple, the ticking of the clock, the hum of the electrical appliances and the scuffle of their shoes on the floor. You become part of their world.
We see them together, their slippers almost touching under the table as a delicate portrayal of intimacy. It is a privilege to witness their relationship and be invited in. Hulda doesn’t like the attention, telling him he’s a show-off. This comes to a head when we see Trausti waving his arms around. She asks what he’s doing and he replies that it’s his sailor dance. Her dismissive response was to ask him if it’s supposed to be funny and that it has left her speechless. Trausti replies ‘it’s good she’s speechless’; painting a picture of the domestic familiarity of their 70 years together, arguing about the future of books and gossiping about neighbours.”
Lula furthermore describes how running alongside this joyful presentation of a sprightly man, the film is a more intimate engagement with a man preparing for his death. “We hear about and are shown his coffin, witnessing his textural engagement with it as he admires the craftsmanship of it’s smooth wood. It comes across as strangely unremarkable, like shopping for a car or a coat. Yet, we are reminded that when the coffin seller says not to worry as the coffin is waiting for him, it is waiting for his death. This is further accentuated when he explains ‘the worms will naturally eat your flesh’, hauntingly reminding us of his earlier comment ‘I love this life and don’t want to die’. Producing a skillful emotional engagement, this fear sits deep in the pit of our stomach throughout the film. There is the realisation that none of our bodies are safe from decay, no matter how young at heart we are. The dread of an end point culminates as we witness the funeral of the Half Elf we’ve grown to love throughout the film through Magnusson´s personal portrayal of his grandfather. Yet, there is a bleak calm in the moment of his burial as his kin lower him into the snow-clad ground in the blizzard.”
Lula describes the film as “beautifully intimate and personal, showcasing the merits of how ethnographic film can allow us into homes, families, life and death. The slow depiction of daily life feels comforting, as if we are invited to come sit at their table, look at their photos, listen to their stories and the radio, to sing along. With an almost meditative quality, we rest here and dwell. It felt like a privilege to be taken on the journey as Trausti embarks towards his earthly death. We are thrown into the past through Trausti’s stories of his grandmother and enchanted rocks, and dismay from his wife about his elfish fascination, trapped between old and new, just as he is in the liminal period between life and death.”
Trausti’s body looks almost asleep in his death and as we watch the lighthouse call out into the night for the last time, leaving us reflecting on our own existence, whilst finding the beauty, fragility and fun in life, perhaps encouraginging us to invite out the little elfish foolishness we harbour within ourselves.”
Half Elf is nominated as best documentary for The Icelandic Film & Television Academy Award 2021. The Edda Award is an accolade bestowed annually by the Icelandic Film and Television Academy, and is the most prominent film and television award in Iceland, awarded annually in February. This year it will be in April, due to covid.
The Edda has awarded for outstanding work in various categories of film and television annually since 1999, except in 2009 due to the economic crash the year before. In 2010, the event was moved from the usual November date to February, and the eligibility period for that year was from 1 November 2008 to 30 December 2009. Since 2011, the eligibility period is the previous calendar year.
Five documentary films are nominated for the Edda Award this year, Against the Current, Resonance, Spare Parts A Song Called Hate and Half Elf.
The Icelandic Film & TV Academy (IKSA) unites the film makers associations in Iceland in co-owned organisation, which aim is to enhance the Icelandic film and TV industry. For pursuing this goal, the Academy operates the EDDA Awards, the annual film and TV awards in Iceland.
The EDDA awards are the Icelandic film scene harvesting festival with the aim to encourage professionalism in the industry. Members of the Academy vote on the work and individuals that are awarded each year.
The Icelandic Film & TV Academy is a member of Film Academies Network of Europe and is responsible for nominating Iceland’s submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Read more about this years nominations in each category here.
