Sophie
Graduation film, 20 minutes.
Juin 2023, Reykjavík.
A young woman’s party with her friends doesn’t go as planned when her boyfriend rapes her and she meets a poetic embodiment of femininity.
With my graduation film, I delved deep into my own past and traumas and finally tell my own story. Based on actual events and feelings, this film is a cathartic way to accept my experiences and close a chapter of my life.
Being sensitive to women's development and mental state, this film puts forward a personal message that aims at talking to other suffering women.
The film isn’t set in a specific time and country, that is, the cast is multicultural and speaks English with their own accent, and the locations aren’t set to happen specifically in Iceland. The esthetic evolves through the film and marks the different stages that Sophie goes through.
The Tell-Tell Heart
Short film adaptation, 15 minutes.
October 2022, Reykjavík.
A young woman becomes obsessed with the man who lives next door and slowly falls into madness before she commits an irreparable act.
The magic about Poe's writing is that his employ of the unreliable narrator device leaves room for interpretation and possibility. My take on this famous short story is to go counter the standard reading of this work and put the narrator in the shoes of a young woman victim of sexual violence, whose trauma leads her to long for vengeance.
This movie aims to portray madness in an experimental way, relying heavily on strong visual elements and a distortion of reality through flashes. Without dialogue but with a specifically contrasted soundscape, the story unfolds in an apparent linear manner until the cause of the narrator's madness reveals itself through a horrific scene of abuse, thus bending the timeline.
Between the horror movie and the film d'auteur, my version of The Tell-Tale Heart puts the audience in a claustrophobic journey in the heart of the Gothic - a genre that is dear to me in terms of symbolism, representation, and theme - while pointing at a traumatic situation a lot of women have had to encounter at some point in their lives.
Keep F****** Going
28 minutes.
May 2022, Reykjavík.
Two French, a Russian, a German-Icelander, a Dane, and three Icelanders walk into a bar. This is not the start of a bad joke, but the beginning of a meaningful friendship. They share a beer, then overshare their fear, and they become friends. Eight young adults from different backgrounds all met in Gaukurinn bar, in Reykjavik, Iceland, and created a friend group in which they find comfort, humor, and support. The director, Tori, Andrey, Krissi, Katrín, My, *******, and Elía are part of a specific subcultural scene: they're Goths and “alternative” kids. On the deeper hand, these people help one another deal with mental health issues.
In this documentary about mental health and the relevance of friendship, the light is cast on people being vulnerable and exploring the meaning of “belonging“.
Official selection for Stockfish Film & Industry Festival 2023. Winning prize “Documentary of the year“.
Jury Statement: The winning film gently welcomes the audience into an intimate space, where a group of people who don’t feel accepted within the norms of society share their darkest moments. They have created a space where “weirdness” is celebrated, not just accepted. The subjects are honest and the director obviously has their trust. The film is personal, moving and well crafted.
Official selection at SWIFF (Student World Impact Film Festival). Honorable Mention.