MOVIE DAYS

The 1960s in Iceland. A time of change, upheaval, conflict, and an American invasion-in the form of television and movies. Iceland's ancient culture clashes with the vivid blue glow of telelvisions screeching with cartoons, action movies, and war dramas broadcast from the American military base. And going to the movies is a serious social occasion. Thomas, a young boy growing up in Reykjavik, is captivated by the world of Roy Rogers and Russian spies, a vibrant world cut short when he is shipped off to a relative's northern farm for the summer, a place completely lacking in television and movie screens. Painstakingly, he learns to appreciate nature and his nation's traditional culture, one of myths and goblins, ghosts and trolls. His imagination is set free there, and its power comes periously close to reality when tragedy strikes. Part subtle critique of the influences of American culture, part light humor and heartfelt coming-of-age, this latest triumph from the director of “Children of Nature” (17th CIFF, 1993) is sly and wonderful. In Icelandic with English subtitles.