A woman in the sea

Synopsis

Lýsing

The smell of leather, whiskey and cigars: Two young women, friends, fall in love with the same man, an adventurous young buisnessman. Missing forged documents wreak havoc on the lives of everyone involved...

The stench of leather, whiskey and cigars fused together constitute the true basis of a masculine aroma, that is if there is any truth in pulp romance. Steina, a twenty year old Reykjavík maiden who has recently broken up with her boyfriend, is swept off her feet by this seducing scent. Her girl friend Styrja is also easy prey. They both fall in love with the same man, - Gunnar, a young and dashing entrepreneur. An so does Vala, his ambitious accountant... but her career is more important to her than the tickling aroma.

Steina's domestic circumstances differ in all respects from the slick world of the man of her dreams. Her mother, a lover of poems from a strong line of farmers, seeks refuge in booze when encountered by the bottleneck´s in life and Steina´s little sister, Gugga, a master at truancy, seeks nothing more than an break in life, at what ever cost.

A market "blitz" is Gunnar´s answear to declining sales of his business and Steina becomes his strategic secret weapon. He passes her off as a fashion model, the image of the cosmetics he imports.

Gunnar tampers with his friend´s will and testament and uses the money to finance his marketing campaign. Steina, without knowing it, takes possession of the forgery and the original, which are then stolen by her younger sister, who has no inkling about their origin, nor that they are from her late father, whom she never knew. After the disappearance of the documents relations are subject to change...

Lykt af leðri, vískí og vindlum; uppskriftin að hinum sanna ilmi karlmennskunnar ef marka má rauðu ástarsögurnar. Steina, tvítug Reykjavíkurstúlka, lætur lokkast af þessum heillandi ilmi eftir vonbrigði með gamla kærastann sinn. En vinkona hennar Styrja er ekki ósnortin heldur; Þær verða ástfangnar af sama manninum, Gunnari, myndarlegum ungum ævintýramanni í viðskiptum. Og Vala, metnaðargjarni bókhaldarinn hans, er líka með í spilinu... en þó virðist framinn skipta hana meira máli en kitlandi angan.

En ástandið á heimili Steinu er ólíkt fleim glansheimi sem draumaprinsinn dvelst í. Móðir hennar, ljóðelsk kona af rótgrónum bændaættum á bágt með að framfleyta fjölskyldunni og sækir í brennivínið þegar illa gengur og litla systir Steinu, Gugga, sem er með skrópasýki, vill líka komast í annan og betri stað, hva› sem það kostar.

Leiftursókn á markaðinn er svar Gunnars við versnandi stöðu fyrirtækisins og í þeirri sókn er Steina, nýja unnustan, leynivopnið hans. Hún er dubbuð upp og gerð að fyrirsætu, ímynd fyrir snyrtivörurnar sem Gunnar flytur inn.

Gunnar falsar erfðaskrá félaga síns og með því fé á að borga söluherferðina. Steina fær óvitandi í hendur skjölin, það ekta og það falsaða, sem litla systir hennar tekur svo traustataki. Sú litla hefur auðvitað ekki hugmynd um að þessir pappírar eru erfðaskrá föður hennar, sem vildi ekki af laundótturinni vita fyrr en á dánarbeði. En eftir að skjölin hverfa breytast öll samskipti fólks...

Cast

Leikarar

Draumadísir actress
Silja Hauksdóttir

STEINA:  Silja Hauksdóttir

STYRJA:  Ragnheiður Axel

GUNNAR:  Baltasar Kormákur

GUGGA:  Bergþóra Aradóttir

RAGNHEIÐUR:  Margrét Ákadóttir

VALA:  Ragnhildur Rúriksdóttir

Filmmakers

Teymi

Information and sales:  Gjóla films ehf.
Director:  Ásdís Thoroddsen
Screenplay:  Ásdís Thoroddsen
Producer:  Martin Schlüter
Co-Producers:  Heino Deckert, Friðrik þór Friðriksson
Production Company:  Gjóla Films ehf(Iceland), Majade Film GmBH(Germany), Kvikmyndasamsteypan(Iceland)
Production Manager:  Fahad Falur Jabali
Director of Cinematography:  Halldór Gunnarsson
Composer:  Einar A. Melax
Art Direction:  Þorvaldur Böðvar Jónsson
Editor:  Valdís Óskarsdóttir

Upplýsingar og dreifing:  Gjóla ehf.
Leikstjóri:  Ásdís Thoroddsen
Handrit:  Ásdís Thoroddsen
Framleiðandi:  Martin Schlüter
Samframleiðendur:  Heino Deckert, Friðrik Þór Friðriksson
Framleiðslufyrirtæki:  Gjóla ehf(Íslandi), Majade Film GmBH(Þýskalandi), Kvikmyndasamsteypan(Íslandi)
Framkvæmdastjóri:  Fahad Falur Jabali
Kvikmyndatökumaður:  Halldór Gunnarsson
Tónskáld:  Einar A. Melax
Leikmyndahönnuður:  Þorvaldur Böðvar Jónsson
Klippari:  Valdís Óskarsdóttir

Title:  Draumadísir
English Title:  Dream Hunters
Genre:  Comedy
Release Date:  March 1996
Film Format:  35 mm, colour
Aspect Ratio:  1:1.66
Sound Format:  Dolby SR
Running Time:  90 min.
Language of Dialogue:  Icelandic

Titill:  Draumadísir
Enskur titill:  Dream Hunters
Tegund:  Gamanleikur
Frumsýning:  Mars 1996
Form:  35 mm, í lit
Hlutfall myndar:  1:1.66
Hljóðsnið:  Dolby SR
Lengd:  90 mín.
Tungumál:  Íslenska

Voices from the press

Pressulof

...Draumadísir is fairly unusual for an Icelandic film. Ásdís Thoroddsen's work is unlike any other, except her own, Ingaló. Overall it is a good piece of work, especially the script and the actors' performances.

Tíminn
23 March 1996.

...Ásdís's direction is sure; the story has a barb, and the dialogues are often clever...

Dagbladid Vísir
22 March 1996.

...[The film] is amusingly wintry and cynical; at the same time, it is often warm and personal and really well acted, especially by Silja Hauksdóttir, who, as Steina, has the most important role...

Morgunbladid
22 March 1996.

...Dense atmosphere and not at all chilled in an Icelandic context…

Westdeutsche Zeitung
29 November 1996.

"Here we have a funny film - a bizarre little gem. Absolutely something you have to see".

Télé OBS, France

"Good! Due to original and quirky story-telling"
Télé Z, France

"Something put a spell on me!"

TV Magazine, Le Figaro, France

"An appealing and humorus portrayal of a fighting young Icelandic lady".

Télé Loisirs, France

"A delightful film"

The Icelandic State TV, March 1996