Mýrin (2006)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Baltasar Kormákur

Writers:

Arnaldur Indriðason (novel)
Baltasar Kormákur (screenplay)

Release Date:

20 October 2006 (Iceland)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

A murder opens up a bleak trail of long buried secrets and small town corruption for a worn out police detective and his squad.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Neurofibromatosis | Iceland | Based On Novel

Awards:

10 wins

Cast

Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson	...	Erlendur (as Ingvar E. Sigurðsson)
Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir	...	Eva Lind
Björn Hlynur Haraldsson	...	Sigurður Óli
Ólafía Hrönn Jónsdóttir	...	Elínborg
Atli Rafn Sigurðsson	...	Örn
Kristbjörg Kjeld	...	Katrín
Þorsteinn Gunnarsson	...	Holberg
Theódór Júlíusson	...	Elliði
Þórunn Magnea Magnúsdóttir	...	Elín
Guðmunda Elíasdóttir	...	Theodóra
Walter Grímsson	...	Handrukkarar
Sveinn Olafur Gunnarsson		(as Sveinn Ólafur Gunnarsson)
Magnús Ragnarsson	...	Lögfræðingur
Rafnhildur Rósa Atladótir	...	Kola
Jón Sigurbjörnsson	...	Albert
Valdimar Örn Flygenring	...	Pilot
Þór Tulinius	...	Pathologe
Ása Hlín Svavarsdóttir	...	Starfskona á Hagstofu
Eyvindur Erlendsson	...	Rúnar
Elma Lísa Gunnarsdóttir	...	Gunnur
Erlendur Eiríksson	...	Öryggisvörður
Kristinn Ágúst Friðfinnsson	...	Fjölskylduprestur (as Sr. Kristinn Ágúst Friðfinnsson)
Kári Stefánsson	...	Himself
Þórhallur Gunnarsson	...	Fréttamaður
Sigurður Már Ólafsson	...	Bílstjóri hjá Landflutningum
Hjalti Gunnarsson	...	Fangavörður #1
Jón Viðar Arnþórsson	...	Fangavörður #2
Guðrún Birna Gísladóttir	...	Forstöðukona á Grund
Bjarni Geir Patric Alfreðsson	...	Kokkur á BSÍ
Katrín Óskarsson	...	Kona Rúnars
Rósa Olafsdóttir	...	Eldri kona 1 (as Rósa Ólafsdóttir)
Osk Gudmundóottir	...	Eldri kona 2 (as Ósk Guðmundsdóttir)
Thorarinn Oskar Thorarinsson	...	Eddi (as Þórarinn Óskar Þórarinsson)
Úlfur Ísfeld Rögnvaldsson	...	Bróðir Arnars
Sólon Ísfeld Rögnvaldsson	...	Arnar
Sverrir Einarsson	...	Útfararstjóri #1
Bryndís Valbjarnardóttir	...	Útfararstjóri #2
Valgerður Backman	...	Ritari Arnar
Guðlaug Hermannsdóttir	...	Afgreiðslustúlka BSÍ
Lalli Johns	...	Himself

Directed by
Baltasar Kormákur

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Arnaldur Indriðason		novel
Baltasar Kormákur		screenplay

Produced by
Oliver Huzly	....	co-producer
Agnes Johansen	....	producer
Reinhard Klooss	....	co-producer
Baltasar Kormákur	....	producer
Kim Magnusson	....	executive producer
Lilja Pálmadóttir	....	producer

Original Music by
Mugison

Cinematography by
Bergsteinn Björgúlfsson

Film Editing by
Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir

Production Design by
Atli Geir Grétarsson

Costume Design by
Harpa Einarsdottir

Makeup Department
Ragna Fossberg	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Lísa Kristjánsdóttir	....	first assistant director
Davíd Óskar Ólafsson	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Erik Hirt	....	property master

Sound Department
Steingrímur E. Guðmundsson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Kjartan Kjartansson	....	sound designer
Kjartan Kjartansson	....	sound mixer
Ingvar Lundberg	....	sound editor
Ingvar Lundberg	....	sound re-recording mixer
Guðrún Ragna Sigurjónsdóttir	....	sound assistant

Special Effects by
Stefan Jorgen	....	special effects makeup
Eggert Ketilsson	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Anders Bloch-Rose	....	colorist (as Anders Bloch-Jensen)
Michael Holm	....	digital compositor

Camera and Electrical Department
Guðmundur Andrés Erlingsson	....	electrician
Gitte Gammelgaard	....	first assistant camera
Sarah Gardiner	....	first assistant camera
Sam Goldie	....	first assistant camera
Geir Magnússon	....	gaffer
Sigurdur Bahama Magnusson	....	lighting technician

Editorial Department
Ejvind Bording	....	film color timer
Mette Høst Hansen	....	post-production coordinator
Marta R. Traustadóttir	....	assistant editor

Production Companies

• Bavaria Pictures
• Blueeyes Productions
• Degeto Film
• Nordisk Film

Distributors

• European Film Partners (EFP) (2008) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• IFC Films (2008) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• IFC First Take (2008) (USA) (theatrical)
• Memento Films (2008) (France) (theatrical)
• Skífan (2006) (Iceland) (theatrical)
• Videorama (2008) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Blueeyes Productions (2006) (Iceland) (all media)
• Scanbox Entertainment (2008) (Finland) (DVD)
• Videorama (2007) (Greece) (all media)

Other Companies

• Dolby Laboratories  sound mix

Also Known As:

Jar City (International: English title) (USA) (new title)
Der Tote aus Nordermoor (Germany)

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

Iceland | Germany | Denmark

Language:

Icelandic

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-15 | UK:15 (2008) | Ireland:16 | Netherlands:16 | Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

Hvalsnes, Reykjanes, Iceland

Company:

Bavaria Pictures

Trivia:

The take-away food Erlendur is eating is boiled sheep's head known as "Svið", an Icelandic delicacy.

Movie Connections:

Remade as Jar City (2010)

Well-crafted police thriller with more than most of the genre.

Inspector Erlendur (Ingvar E. Sigurðsson) has to investigate a "messy and pointless" murder. A dirty old man has had his head bashed in in his flat. "Typical Icelandic", he thinks.

Iceland just touches the Arctic circle. It's a long way from anywhere else. It is grey and gritty, spectacular and melancholy, buffeted by blasts of wind, snow and steam. Against this background Erlendur doggedly untangles the connections and the crimes of the past, digging up corpses and secrets shameful or tragic. Landscape and society alike are revealed and commented on, drily and laconically.

Being based on a novel by Iceland's most successful crime writer, the characters are as well known to the home audience as Rebus, for instance, is in Britain, and carry enough of the baggage of real life to make them credible and sympathetic. There are visual themes of burials and exhumations, post-mortems, pathology labs and fast food, and a sound track of male voices shading into electronic moans and growls, which in turn dissolve into the wind. It's a very well-constructed package, which is thought provoking, gruesome, touching and funny, and it's certainly worth seeing.