Jar City

Directed by Baltasar Kormakur

Review by Roberto Azula

Jar City is one of the grimiest, most appetite-killing films I’ve seen in the festival so far; even so, it is a surprisingly enjoyable, taut thriller. Set in the grim, washed out vistas of Iceland, Jar City is a sure-footed, confident police procedural in the tradition of Bullitt and Stray Dog. Ingvar Sigurosson is excellent as Inspector Erlunder, the archetypal dead-tired but unstoppable investigator. Like any good film noir, the film is not so much about the murder itself but the environment that spawned such an event.

Jar City is not the most flattering portrayal of Iceland, and the film’s black humor reminded me of the cultural wastelands of Fargo. The film is sure to turn you off to Icelandic cuisine; there are several nice close-ups of Erlunder chowing down on some really foul-looking food, including a greasy sheep’s head that he picks up at a fast-food drive-thru. One laugh aloud moment involves Erlunder’s partner asking a cafeteria employee if they have any vegetarian dishes. “We don’t serve any of that guacamole shit!” the employee barks back.

Jar City is a morality tale about the relentless inevitability of evil, and how its poison can reach across generations. The mystery of Jar City is resolved, of course, but it is of no consolation to anyone, including Erlunder. Erlundur may be a crack investigator, but he is mostly a failure as a father, and he is still leading a lonely, pointless life. But as this film eloquently shows, the truth does not revolve around our comfort.