The Cinematheque

Baldvin Zophoníasson’s second feature transplants the interconnected multiple-narrative model popularized by filmmakers like Robert Altman and Paul Thomas Anderson to Reykjavik, with powerful and affecting results. Eik is a single mother struggling to make ends meet by any means possible. Gústi is a former athlete who’s now trying to climb the corporate ladder and deal with a dictatorial boss. Móri is a once-respected author who now appears to be a full-time drunk. Baldvin shuttles between these three characters—who eventually intersect in surprising ways—while using their stories to address pressing contemporary issues, including the kreppa (the 2008 financial crisis). One of the country’s most successful domestic hits in recent memory, Life in a Fishbowl is rightly assuming its status as one of the key Icelandic films of the decade. Winner of 12 Edda Awards (Iceland’s Oscars).