Iceland, Denmark, Poland, Germany / 89’
language Icelandic
cast Steinþór Hróar Steinþórsson, Edda Björgvinsdóttir, Sigurður Sigurjónsson, Lára Jóhanna Jónsdóttir, Þorsteinn Bachmann, Selma Björnsdóttir, Dóra Jóhannsdóttir, Sigríður Sigurpálsdóttir Scheving
screenplay Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson, Huldar Breiðfjörð
cinematographer Monika Lenczewska
editor Kristján Loðmfjörð
production designer Snorri Freyr Hilmarsson
costume designer Margrét Einarsdóttir
music Daníel Bjarnason
sound Björn Viktorsson, Frank Mølgaard Knudsen, Sylvester Holm
Cinema
Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson - Undir trénu (Under the Tree)
Synopsis
Agnes throws Atli out and does not want him to see their daughter Ása anymore. He moves in with his parents, who are involved in a bitter dispute over their big and beautiful tree that casts a shadow on the neighbours’ deck. As Atli fights for the right to see his daughter, the dispute with the neighbours intensifies —property is damaged, pets mysteriously go missing, security cameras are being installed and there is a rumor that the neighbor was seen with a chainsaw.
Director’s Statement
We all live with, or at least, next to other people. Being a part of a community is a compromise. And this can be very problematic. Neighbourly disputes are a horrible, yet fascinating phenomena. They have a tendency to become extremely brutal but at the same time absurdly funny. They usually involve respectful citizens who may never have been engaged in anything illegal but because of anger and hate towards their neighbour, they start showing aggressive and violent behaviour. In other words, neighbourly disputes bring out the worst in people. They can even turn your grandmother into a murderer. But what is war, other than a neighbourly dispute, on a bigger scale?
