Pendulous Chances; the life and work of singer performer Ragnar Bjarnason

A new kind of beauty contest, Miss Iceland.is, was established in Iceland in 2000. Hrönn Sveinsdóttir joined the contest to make a film.

In the late fifties Iceland was isolated and backwards. Industrialisation had really just begun and the country was taking it’s first steps towards the ultra-modern society we know today. The US military set up a base next to the sleepy fishing village of Keflavik on the south coast turning everything on it’s head. The Americans outnumbered the locals three to one. Culturally it was as if a UFO had landed. The young people were more open to cultural influences than the older generation and this triggered a rock and roll explosion which then swept the rest of the country. It was the birth of Icelandic teenage culture. Because of Iceland’s location right between America and Europe the cultural influences mixed to produce an unique blend.

An old Icelandic country singer at a crossroad in his career and life tries to get back one last time in the saddle. Meanwhile he has to reconcile with his difficult past which is always hanging over him like a shadow.