Word: reykjavic
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Walking through downtown Reykjavík on a November night is a little like being trapped in a snow globe that's packed away in the world's attic. The gray sky hangs low, dusting the houses in white soundproofing. The narrow streets, glazed by the orange glow of streetlamps, are invariably empty. In the 2000 film 101 Reykjavík, the film's narrator puts it this way: "Reykjavík is like some kind of Siberia in the winter. Even the ghosts are bored here...
...fishmongers and bite-size pubs tap into the charisma of one of Europe's most storied neighborhoods. Indeed, 101 has been the muse for a generation of artists that love to hate Iceland's six-month winters - among them director Baltasar Kormákur, whose film 101 Reykjavík was based on Hallgrímur Helgason's 1996 novel of the same name...
...Reykjavík is the story of Hlynur, a 30-year-old slacker who lives with his divorced mother in their cramped 101 apartment. She still buys him underwear; he smokes weed with her in the evenings. Eventually, Hlynur's mom comes out of the closet and takes a lover - a free-spirited flamenco dancer - whom Hlynur falls for, too. The story of their triangle unfolds against snow-covered streets and alternating cozy and claustrophobic interiors, in loving tribute both to the neighborhood and its seasonal ritual of drinking to excess. "Life is one week," Hlynur says as the film...
Often the simplest questions have the most interesting answers. A few winters back, I was sitting over a cup of instant hot chocolate in Reykjavík, Iceland, with a fellow American, Eric Weiner. He was in town researching a book about happiness, trying to get to the bottom of why Icelanders consistently say they are content in a country they have nicknamed the "Ice Cube." I happened to live on the Ice Cube at the time, but I was taken aback when Weiner asked me, point blank, "Are you happy here...
...cities and some 30 flats in the past 10 years, I'd spent more than a little time wondering about the connection between place and peace, and whether I'd be happier in the next place. I can't remember what my answer was that day with Weiner in Reykjavík, but, like a typical American, I recall vividly not wanting to come off as unhappy. If he asked me the same question today, I probably still wouldn't be able to say, but reading about Weiner's travels and travails has led me to at least one important...