White Whales

In person: Friðrik Thór Friðriksson!

After a number of prize-winning documentaries—including the seminal Rock in Reykjavik—Oscar-nominated director Friðrik Thór Friðriksson (Children of Nature) made his debut fiction feature with this unexpectedly touching portrait of two friends down and almost out in the big city. Grímur and Bubbi are experienced whalers who, after months out at sea, decide to take a break in Reykjavík. But something has changed: they no longer feel at home, or welcome, and wind up getting thrown out of one establishment after another. Yet neither is the type to simply accept what’s been going down, and the two prepare themselves for what they know will be a confrontation. Friðriksson’s skill as a docmentarist is everywhere evident, from the lovely scenes on the whaler to the careful observation of Reykjavík nightlife.