The debut feature by celebrated stage director Benedikt Erlingsson announces the arrival of an innovative new cinematic voice. Set almost exclusively outdoors amid stunning Icelandic landscapes, the film features in equal parts a cast of exquisite short-legged Icelandic horses and human characters—including the terrific Ingvar E. Sigurdsson and Charlotte Bøving as meant-for-each-other but put-upon lovers—illuminating with great inventive flair the relationship between man and beast. Several narrative strands, defined by the way each character relates to their horse, recount a variety of situations according to the particulars of the seasons, resulting in a surprising and sometimes humorous symbiosis between horses, humans, and nature. Among its many awards, Of Horses and Men ran off with Scandinavia's most prestigious film award, The Nordic Council Prize—a first for an Icelandic film—beating out heavy-hitters like Lars von Trier.
Organized by Jytte Jensen, Curator, Department of Film.
