Unfortunately the trailer is better than the movie.

So I’ve said it. The first documentary about the Icelandic economic disaster to hit the theatres does not deliver what it promises. Helgi Felixsson, a documentary film-maker who’s lived in Sweden for most of his life saw the potential in a nation coming apart at the seams last winter. His distance from Icelandic society is too apparent in the result. Maybe the film could have done with collaboration from people who are more knowledgeable.

The good parts are the footage from the riots and demonstrations, but the feeling remains that it could have been done even better. It is sort of like if they’d halved the battle of Gondor in the  Return of the King. A middle class, flat-screen hogging, gas-guzzling, overweight nation toppling its democratically elected government in time of relative world peace? Come on? You must be able to do better. The build is slow and the collective anger and frustration on display in Reykjavik last winter is not given enough momentum.

Some pieces are haunting. Geir Haarde’s internal convulsion before addressing the nation, then total lack of judgement when he declares that he never considered the demonstrations personal. Asgeir Fridgeirsson’s turn as Bjorgolfur Thor’s very own version of Smithers is comically sad. Bjorgolfur’s own absence from reality is vile and disturbing.

If the intent was to show the effect of the crash on Icelandic families, then the decision to follow teamster Sturla Jonsson around shows astonishing lack of judgement on the behalf of the filmmaker.  Sturla is one of the least sympathetic victims of the Icelandic crash, when you consider that his fight originally revolved around lower petrol prices, against the grain of everything humanity should be fighting for. It is one thing to build a home with your bare hands but a collection of cars and a motocross cycle confirmation present to his son only make him look foolish. His parliamentary campaign was sad, especially when he’s sitting at home dreaming of a seat in parliament because it would be nice to get a job.

Eva the witch is on the other hand a brilliant character. Her declaration of having a completely changed mindset regarding paying her mounting debts is one many can sympathise with. The God-fearing policeman displayed an extraordinary character in tough situations where you almost felt like the men in black would like nothing more than to turn their batons the other way. But the film’s subject are not typical Icelanders in any way, maybe we have to wait for Gunnar Sigurdsson’s documentary to see their side.

Helgi’s decision to film Jon Asgeir Johannesson, Geir Haarde and Bjorgolfur Thor while they thought the camera was off has been much criticized. It is impossible to argue against such dirty tricks which are likely to chase these villains away from cameras where more clever interviewers could have gotten a better “peek into their soul”. Helgi’s tricks only work as marketing stunts for his movie, he doesn’t really get anything interesting from these exercises and the paying customer has to ask whether that was all it was?

There are too many dull moments, the interesting bits to few and the best bits cut short too early. On the whole for a dish that is supposed to be served hot, there just ultimately isn’t enough mustard.

But the trailer is brilliant.

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