"L'Iceberg" (2005 release from Belgium; 84 min.) brings the story of a dysfunctional family. As the movie opens, an Inuktitut woman addresses us about her life (only much later do we understand why), and after that brief prologue of sorts, we get to know Fiona, a woman in her thirties. While she is closing up the fast food joint she manages, she accidentally locks herself in the walk-in freezer and spends the night. Meanwhile we see that her husband Julien, utterly aloof, doesn't even notice Fiona isn't there. When Fiona returns home the next day, she realizes that Julien and the kids didn't know she missed the night. What will Fiona do next? To tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.
Couple of comments: this is one remarkable movie from Belgium (where I grew up). First of all, there is hardly any dialogue in the movie. A sentence here, a word there, and that's about it. It's all about the visuals and the physical comedy. About 15 minutes into the movie, I thought to myself, "this is so Jacques Tati!". Take for example the classic bedroom scene, where Julien accidentally kicks Fiona off the bed, and then goes into a battle with the bed sheets. Wonderful scene. Also do not think that just because there is so few spoken scenes that there isn't a story line. Au contraire, the story line moves forward with significant strides throughout the movie. Interestingly, the movie is co-written and co-directed by the actors playing Fiona and Julien. This may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I found the movie to be highly original, quirky and engaging from start to finish.
I recently saw "L'Iceberg" at my local art house theater here in Cincinnati, which it was shown as part of a French Comedy Movies series brought in partnership with the local Alliance Francaise (even though this movie is not French, but who's keeping track). The one-off showing was quite well attended. I had no idea what to expect going in, but walked out of the theater with a smile on my face. If you are in the mood for a comedy that is off-center and then some, you can't go wrong with this. "L'Iceberg" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Couple of comments: this is one remarkable movie from Belgium (where I grew up). First of all, there is hardly any dialogue in the movie. A sentence here, a word there, and that's about it. It's all about the visuals and the physical comedy. About 15 minutes into the movie, I thought to myself, "this is so Jacques Tati!". Take for example the classic bedroom scene, where Julien accidentally kicks Fiona off the bed, and then goes into a battle with the bed sheets. Wonderful scene. Also do not think that just because there is so few spoken scenes that there isn't a story line. Au contraire, the story line moves forward with significant strides throughout the movie. Interestingly, the movie is co-written and co-directed by the actors playing Fiona and Julien. This may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I found the movie to be highly original, quirky and engaging from start to finish.
I recently saw "L'Iceberg" at my local art house theater here in Cincinnati, which it was shown as part of a French Comedy Movies series brought in partnership with the local Alliance Francaise (even though this movie is not French, but who's keeping track). The one-off showing was quite well attended. I had no idea what to expect going in, but walked out of the theater with a smile on my face. If you are in the mood for a comedy that is off-center and then some, you can't go wrong with this. "L'Iceberg" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!