By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Director: Dagur Kári
Starring: Elín Hansdóttir | Tómas Lemarquis | Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson
Original language title: Nói albinói
Country: denmark, germany, iceland, united_kingdom
Year: 2004
Running time: 93
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0351461/combined
Ivy says: “I saw NÓI at Toronto this past year. It sounded quirky, had a funny photo in the catalog, and it seemed like the kind of movie that Ned and I might be able to program for the Brattle. As you can see the film has more legs than the Brattle can wrestle with, Palm picked it up and now Landmarks are playing them all over the country – good for the film’s visibility, bad for the small indie theaters…
“Anyway, business talk aside. NÓI (which was NÓI ALBINÓI) when we saw it, turned out to be one of my favorite films from the 2003 Toronto FF. Partly because it was such an unknown quantity and really impressed me. The basic premise is that the main character Nói is an outsider (the actor truly is a hairless man!) in a small town on a fjord.
“NÓI takes the basic maladjusted teen story and turns it into a wonderful art film. I have to see the film again to tell you some of the items that really wowed me because it was a while ago now. The filmmaker is also an indie rock guy and his band does the music for the film which adds a lot to the film.
“Definitely check out the film! I know that this is one that will be discussed in great length during next year’s nominations!”
Ned says: “Any of you who are fans of the muted, deadpan humor of Jim Jarmusch and Aki Kaurismaki should high-tail it to the MFA tonight for NÓI ALBINÓI at 8pm. It’s playing as part of a Scandinavian Film Festival and is a very good film. It was one of my faves from Toronto last year and, although it should find a theatrical release in Boston later this year, here’s your chance to
be ahead of the curve!
“NÓI ALBINÓI (or NOI THE ALINBO) is the debut film from Icelandic director Dagur Kári and it follows the (mostly) small scale adventures of Noi, a unique young man in a small Icelandic village who dreams of escape. This is a great version of the classic teen outsider story plus it’s also quite beautiful. Be prepared, however, for the ‘what-the-f***’ style ending!”