Acensbart
Excellent but underrated film
Senteur
As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.
mraculeated
The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.
Ezmae Chang
This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.
Tweekums
As this film opens we see Örn, a father, singing a lullaby to Kola, his dying young daughter, in hospital; we then see two boys entering a house where they find a body. The man is named Holberg and the only obvious lead is a photograph of the grave of another young girl; this one who died in 1974. Erlendur is the police officer in charge of discovering who killed Holberg and before the case is solved he will have to discover what happened in 1974; as he does so he will come across police corruption, an old undiscovered murder and a possible rape where the victim is unknown. It will also take him to 'Jar City' the storage place for preserved body parts where the evidence linking the deaths of the two girls is to be found
they may have died of natural causes but that doesn't stop it being a motive for murder.If you are looking for something jolly then this isn't for you; the case is as bleak as the harsh winter scenery. It is still an entertaining story that should keep fans of Scandinavian mysteries happy. Ingvar Sigurðsson does a fine job as the downbeat Erlendur; a character who is tougher than he looks and has a taste for sheep's heads! As is often the case there is more to the story than the mystery; all cops these days seem to have difficult home lives and Erlendur is no exception; he has problems with his daughter who has an unstable life to say the least
jbdjr64
OK, I don't usually write these things. All I can say is, if you want a very suspenseful thriller, set in a wonderful, chilling environment, watch this, it will keep you guessing till the end. I wish there were more like this one, where we get a wonderful surprise of a movie. The scenes near the ocean are very reminiscent of N. Ireland, where I have spent much time. The people there and in Iceland live a different life, they are very, very hardy. Livestock sometimes lives in your garage or living room, depending on your preference. But murder still exists, and the rural murders can be most complicating because many of the killers have lived with centuries of inbreeding, which can cause severe, deviant behavior. That is why is this great movie, we see the twisted, unknown, actions of a demented or sane (?) mind. Enjoy! It's a great view.
melvis0
I have read most of Arnaldur Indridason's novels about Erlendur's murder investigations in Iceland. I didn't read them in sequence: I read Jar City after reading the novels, Silence of the Grave, Voices, The Draining Lake and Arctic Chill. I loved Silence of the Grave and Arctic Chill, but didn't seem to get into his first novel (Jar City). But this book was well adapted to the big screen.All the characters were as I had imagined them to be. The landscape and background was all there: bleak and featureless; cold and windswept.But the music was a little off-putting: the music seemed to remind me of old Gothic horror movies.7/10
Baris Saydam
Balthasar Kormakur's last movie, "Myrin", was made into a bestselling novel in Iceland. In short a time, Myrin was called to mind the best movie of Iceland with effect of the novel. Myrin has no difference than alike movies, despite of being a dark movie which is well-casted and directed. Especially being given messages by the director in the final is very cliché and this banal final chapter doesn't fit with this movie. Finally, Myrin doesn't tell about a new story in genre, which calls "Crime", and there is no need for the same old song: Good cop and bad cop.Myrin begins the story with finding a corpse in an apartment which was built on marsh. Detective Erlandur, who has a daughter is pregnant and a junkie, tries to take up curtain of mist on the case. When Erlandur investigates the case deeply, he finds out roots of the story. Essentially the story grounds on very old. In the movie, there is another story in parallel with this story. In another story, Örn loses his little daughter for an implacable illness. Common points among stories are associated by Erlandur. In conclusion, it comes into the tragic picture.Actually Myrin shows it which is interested in under the iceberg from the beginning. Every minute the story, which has no surprise, comes to a true picture and reminds the viewer of corrosion. When Erlandur resolves problems, marsh remembered by the story like an apartment where was built on a marsh. Basically people go to the bottom each day. Moreover a degeneration and a corrosion are becoming commonplace. We discover these marshes, which were inside people, with Erlandur. If the director just chose to tell a crime story, it would be OK, but he tries to criticize people. At this point, the director loses the control and departs from movie's subject. Maybe critical messages and dramatic structure both are compatible in the book; however, in the movie these two sides are not compatible. An icon of father, who realized a degeneration after committing crimes by co-workers and discovered own estrangement after all of these facts, is an acquaintance and a cliché.Myrin doesn't tell a new story, also it has no different expression way. Nonetheless, the director shows own talent with background of the movie. An excellent background is created by the director. He highlights the dark side of the story with color selection, light using and filter preference. He relates the story in its entirety with Grey and several shades of Grey. He is promoted about visuality, despite of having some problems about storytelling. As a result, Myrin doesn't stick out in the genre, but it can be good choice to kill time.Written by Baris Saydam (BuRnOut_TR)