Von Menschen und Pferden (Of Horses and Men, Hross í oss)
Iceland/Germany/Norway 2013

Opening 19 Feb 2015

Directed by: Benedikt Erlingsson
Writing credits: Benedikt Erlingsson
Principal actors: Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson, Charlotte Bøving, Steinn Ármann Magnússon, Helgi Björnsson, Kristbjörg Kjeld

Through the eyes of a horse, we humans seem pretty crazy. If only we would listen to our natural instincts, our lives would be so much easier, less complicated and less painful. Director Benedikt Erlingsson takes us on an incredible journey through the eyes of the Islandic horses and their relationship to their owners. This multiple award-winning film begins with Kolbein (Ingvar E. Sigurosson), who has two loves in his life, his prize winning mare Grana and Solveig (Charoltte Beving), a woman from the next farm. With the coming of spring, he prepares his horse, wears his finest clothes and the neighbor is watching with binoculars as he, beaming with pride, rides off to his girlfriends’ for teatime. But with the coming of spring, Solveig’s inferior stud breaks free and mounts the pretty mare as Kolbein is riding home. Ashamed and humiliated, his feelings lead him down a dark path.

The film is broken up into tales that give insight to the country lifestyle. Each character is linked to another and is more dysfunctional than the next one. Both horses and women in this film are portrayed as strong and insightful spirits and are often the guiding light for men who have lost their way. It’s no wonderthat the camera team won several festival awards because the cinematography is outstanding and refreshing. One can really dive into the characters of these horses and understand them much better than the man standing next to them. The film has an understated quality mixed with black humor, leaving the audience inspired to see this film again and again. (Shelly Schoeneshoefer)