SAGA SHOP - Haust I Fall 2019

42 Icelandair Stopover BY EYGLÓ SVALA ARNARSDÓTTIR. PHOTOS AND STILLS COURTESY OF LITTLEBIG PRODUCTIONS. Maximilian Hult’s second feature film Pity the Lovers ( Vesalings elskendur ) is a dramedy that tells the story of two brothers who are searching for love but are unable to function in relationships. Óskar (Björn Thors) gives the cold shoulder while Maggi (Jóel Sæmunds- son) comes on too strong. On their quest towards self-fulfillment, the brothers stumble into humorous circumstances and come across many colorful characters. Icelandair Stopover met up with Björn Thors to learn more about the film. What can you tell us about Óskar, your character? [Laughs] I have sometimes said that it’s my typecast to play men who stagnate in their development and aren’t able to grow up. I thought that in some ways this film has refer- ences to París Norðursins [ Paris of the North ], which was also about a man who escapes his home and meets a girl but has problems with interacting with her and finds it easier to connect with children and animals. It seems to be a popular motive for male direct- ors to write about men who can’t grow up, handle life or responsibility, or communicate with other people. To an extent, it’s probably autobiographical musings on dealing with life POKING FUN AT A MIDLIFE CRISIS Pity the Lovers is a moving story about goths and growing up. and loss of freedom, not being able to do whatever you please but having to think about others beside yourself. That’s the essence of these characters, the phobia for having to take responsibility, and aging. What kind of a relationship does Óskar have with his brother? The brothers rely on each other but are still so different. They’re an example of two people who support each other so well but still hold each other back and are maybe the reason that they can’t connect with other people. In order to carry on you have to let something go, let go some of your baggage. They have to process their idea of youth, the child in themselves and the memory of a mom who is gone. There’s a tragedy that hangs over the brothers, which is the loss of their mother who seems to have been the glue in the family, and they don’t deal with it much. It’s a problem of men, not being able to sit down and talk about things in all seriousness. Their stepmother is played by Edda Björgvinsdóttir, a beloved Icelandic comedian. Her relationship with their father is quite funny. She has taken over his life. You see these kinds of relationships among people in their position: stereotypical men and women who aren’t spring chickens anymore. The women From left to right, top to bottom: Edda Björgvinsdóttir in her role as the bossy wife in Pity the Lovers ; Björn Thors as a distraught Óskar; Óskar with his brother Maggi, who has just been dumped, again!; director Maximilian Hult. (Continues on page 44.)