The Icelandic film Heartstone (Hjartasteinn) will premier in Iceland on Friday. It’s Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson’s first feature film. It has been well received at foreign film festivals, where it has earned awards, including three at the Warsaw Film Festival.
The film is a coming-of-age-story, set in the East Fjords. The friendship of two boys is put to the test as they discover sexuality and love.
“When I was younger, I had the feeling adults didn’t understand how serious life was and played down the problems we, the teenagers, faced,” Guðmundur told RÚV.
He explained he began writing the story ten years ago: “Then I had a dream about a friend of mine who lived in a small fishing village. He had died, and this was the first time I dreamt of him after his death. He was showing me around the village; it was a very symbolic dream. When I woke up, I thought I’d write about this part of my life, and my family, and about him and myself. That was the inspiration to the story.”
