''Falcons'' (Icelandic: ''Fálkar'' ()), is the seventh film directed by Friðrik Þór Friðriksson. This film, released in 2002, is mostly in

English language English is a West Germanic language that developed in early medieval England and has since become a English as a lingua franca, global lingua franca. The namesake of the language is the Angles (tribe), Angles, one of the Germanic peoples th ...

Plot

It is the story of an ex-convict, Simon ( Keith Carradine), who after returning to Iceland where his mother was born, to visit relatives, looks for the loneliest place in the world to commit suicide. In a small village he meets Dúa ( Margrét Vilhjálmsdóttir), an Icelandic young lady, who he finds to be an interesting, rather strange woman. Dúa has a caged

falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Some small species of falcons with long, narrow wings are called hobbies, and some that hover while hunting are called kestrels. Falcons are widely distrib ...

that she hopes to tame, but they get into trouble as it is illegal to possess this kind of animal in captivity. Simon and Dua form a relationship based on Simon's belief that she is his illegitimate daughter. Surrounded by tension between them, Simon serves as a protective figure to Dúa, who keeps him from committing suicide. The couple escape to

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, to start all over again. The protagonists' behaviours are opposite to each other: Simon is down to earth and finds himself awkward by Dúa's eccentric beliefs in

astrology Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions ...

, who considers Simon as a typical Scorpio and thus avoids deepening into a more serious relationship, partly because of the feeling of his paternity. Dúa's falcon, that she nourished and protected when her uncle found it with a broken wing, has a high value to her, as she considers it last remnant of the beloved life in Iceland. The falcon travels with them on their escape and has a high monetary value. Later, as Dúa wasted their money, Simon tries to sell the falcon in order to cover their expenditure, but he is cheated by some crooked

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

and the falcon is stolen. Finding a gun in a local bar, Simon confronts the men who cheated him, shooting them both and injuring himself in the process. Meanwhile, Dúa finds Simon's tape recorder, discerning he believes her to be his daughter. Simon returns to return Dúa the bird but collapses from his injuries in the street, Dúa reassures him that he was a good man and potential father as he dies. Dúa releases the falcon.

Cast

* Keith Carradine as Simon * Margrét Vilhjálmsdóttir as Dúa * Ingvar E. Sigurðsson as Jóhann * Magnús Ólafsson as Lobbi * Margrét Ólafsdóttir as Auntie * Friðrik Friðriksson as Young Policeman * Axel Prahl as Car Rental Dealer * Marisa Calcagno as Sabine * Margrét Helga Jóhannsdóttir as Barmaid * Ramin Yazdani as "Scarface" * Geo von Krogh Salvation Army Host *

Hark Bohm Hark Bohm (; born 18 May 1939) is a German actor, screenwriter, film director, playwright and former professor for cinema studies. He was born in Hamburg-Othmarschen and grew up on the island Amrum. His younger brother was the actor Marquard Boh ...

as A Man of The World * Ragnheidur Steindórsdóttir as Nurse * Guðmundur Ólafsson as Doctor * Pétur Ólafsson as Uncle Tóti * Theódór Júlíusson as Bus Driver * Randver Thorláksson as Customs Officer * Zack-Volker Michalowski as Antique Dealer * Jóhanna Vigdís Hjaltadóttir as TV Reporter I *

Ómar Ragnarsson Ómar Þorfinnur Ragnarsson (born 16 September 1940) is an Icelandic environment activist and former entertainer, news reporter and Rallying, rally driver. Born in Reykjavík, Ómar began acting on stage at the age of 12 and started his career as ...

as TV Reporter II * Örlygur Kristfinnsson as Gallery Owner * Darren Forman as American I * Glenn Robert Hodge as American II * Rafi Guessous as Doorman * Bernd Gajkowski as Lübeck Bartender * Frank Wieczorek as Sad Looking Man * Werner Karle Jung as Shady Looking Man

Music

The soundtrack was released as a separate CD titled '' Fálkar''. The music composition was mainly by

Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson (; born 23 April 1958), also known as HÖH, is a musician, an art director, and '' allsherjargoði'' (''chief goði'') of Ásatrúarfélagið ("the Ásatrú Association"). Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson was a pioneer in the use ...

and several important artists who set up a proper atmosphere to the film's plot.

References

External links

''Falcons'' at the Icelandic Film Corporation web site
* {{Friðrik Þór Friðriksson 2002 films English-language Icelandic films 2000s Icelandic-language films Films directed by Friðrik Þór Friðriksson Films scored by Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson Films set in Hamburg 2000s English-language films Films about astrology 2002 multilingual films Icelandic multilingual films