Heartstone

DIRECTOR: Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson
2016 | Denmark | 129 m

Set against the brooding backdrop of a remote fishing village in Iceland, Heartstone focuses on teens Christian (Blaer Hinriksson) and Thor (Baldur Einarsson), best friends with difficult home lives. Christian’s alcoholic father is abusive; Thor’s single mother often leaves him in the custody of his two bullying older sisters.

During one turbulent summer, one tries to win the heart of a local girl while the other discovers latent feelings toward his best friend. The interactions between the boys soon blur the line between homoerotic play fighting and an acknowledged attraction.

Grounded by two outstanding performances by the young leads, Heartstone offers an understated glimpse into the awkward, often painful promise of youth — a tale both fresh and universal.

Guðmundsson’s feature debut is a beautifully rendered and sensitive story of how the two boys deal with the realities of growing up in a small town and the possibility that the burgeoning feelings of one friend may be unwittingly requited by the other. When summer ends, their friendship will have been irrevocably changed.