There is a part of my life that I have not shared much on this site, but it is something that everyone who knows me well is aware of: I love films! Yes, it’s one of the things I like most in life, so much that I have spent many years studying different things related to filmmaking and, above all, film analysis. In a way, all that has influenced that sometimes I am picky about the type of film that I decide to watch … there is a plethora of films in God’s vineyard. There is time for everything, there are movies for every occasion and when all you want is to relax, to not think about the pandemic, or work, or life's problems ...there is Netflix, and its film Eurovision Song Contest: The Story is for of Fire Saga.
Yes my friends, I saw it, I definitely don’t recommend it, because obviously it’s not a movie that you could classify as a “must watch”. But this being a blog about Iceland and, especially, because of the peculiar phenomenon that surrounds it, at least within the island, let’s talk about it.
The story, situated in the small town of Husavík (in the north of Iceland) tells us the journey of Lars (Will Ferrel) and Sigrit (Rachel McAdams) members of a small music group called Fire Saga. Lars, as a child, yearns to participate in the famous (at least for Europeans) Eurovision contest. For those of us who didn’t grow up on this side of the pond, the contest, especially in recent years, seems like a parade of musical nonsense that highlights the political differences that prevail in the continent. For Icelanders, as far as I know, it’s an important cultural event. Especially (as the film reflects) for the little ones, who look with pride at their celebrities representing their country. After a series of...lucky? events, they end up in the competition, despite the wishes of the organisers.
The film, like others starring Will Ferrell, is a comedy with a well-known humor (let's call it American). Ferrell relies on a stereotypical image of Icelanders, at least provincial Icelanders. That they wear a sweater, they drink, fall in love with their relatives, that if they believe in elves ... And as for the contest, it seems that they criticise it cautiously, one may think that an invisible hand cares about the image of said event.
In the end I was surprised ... that the movie is not as bad as I imagined, I mean ... it's just that, a popcorn movie. Sadly, the opportunity to make a good satire of an event that is already comical in itself. Or at least to awaken some questions that are interesting within this (How important is the event? Who really benefits from it? Who truly produces the songs? What it symbolises in Europe? Why has the quality of the music decreased over the years?), would have made the film a much more relevant work.
But, what I found interesting about the film and that sparked my interest in watching it, is that since its premiere, it had very bad reviews from international media, as the Harry Potter nurse would say: “What did you expect? Pumpkin juice ? ”. However, in Iceland, the reactions have been quite different. People welcomed it with open arms, being the most watched movie on Netflix in the weeks of its release, the song Husavík is the most played on Spotify (at least the day I write these lines) and a bar named Jaja Ding Dong has opened its doors in the small town of Husavík.
Where am I going with all of this?
Icelanders have a sense of humor that still is unknown to me, I don’t know how much the film clarified my doubts about it. However, the reaction of the audience, makes me think that in the collectivity there is a longing to be seen, and that the film is a cathartic act. Finally, their island, so inhospitable, so cold, so rugged and with the fury of its volcanoes ... live, dance, dream and sing, to the clamor of
