Battle Cries

5 short films on the theme of European identity.

Anna Hallgrimsdottir, a poetess, dish washer and marijuana dealer in her late thirties, lives in Reykjavik with her two sons, Krummi and Ulfur. Anna is tired of her lifestyle and the coldness of Iceland and wishes to show her sons more of the world. Finally she decides to do something about it, move on, and somewhat change her lifestyle. The first step in her revival is to sell her business which consists of her mobile telephone which includes her big list of clients. The sale is an unusual one and the potential buyer promises her the asking price within 48 hours. During those 48 hours Anna gets into all kinds of “Icelandic familial adventures” as her kitchen fills up with customers/friends, partying, while waiting for her to come Back Soon.

Elegant, retired architect Shauna (70) crosses paths with Pierre, a happily married doctor in his 40s, who first made an impression on her in a brief meeting 15 years previously. Both are quite troubled to meet again and begin an affair. While Pierre’s family life is soon turned upside down, Shauna struggles with feelings she thought belonged to the past.

After a job interview gone wrong, Lulu sets sail leaving her husband and three children behind. But being an adventurer is easier said than done.

Samir, a lanky crane operator in Montreuil, falls madly for Agathe. As master swimmer at the pool Thorez he decides to take swimming lessons with her. But the lie does not last three lessons - Agathe hate liars. Chosen to represent the Seine-Saint-Denis, Agathe flies to Iceland for the 10th Congress of the International Masters Swimming. Samir has no choice but to fly in turn also.

It's early summer and Agathe is back in France, at home in Montreuil. She has to get over her husband's death and return to her work as a film director. The unexpected arrival at her house of a couple of Icelanders, a sea lion and a neighbour that she has always desired yet never vanquished will give Agathe the strength to get her life back on track...

A fiercely active Communard, Louise Michel is condemned for taking arms against Bismarck. Along with thousands of other revolutionaries, she is deported to New Caledonia, whilst, back in Paris, a young parliamentarian Georges Clemenceau campaigns for a truce with the Communards. During her exile, Louise Michel becomes a teacher and wins the admiration of the other deportees, inspiring them to rise up against the colonial order…

The psychiatry department of a young doctor Cora has just admitted a young lady who refuses to speak and whose identity remains unknown. Cora becomes fond of her patient and establishes a relationship which goes beyond the usual course of treatment. She feels a kind of "call" from this woman as a strange and strong tie grows between them. One day, Cora learns that the identity of her patient has been discovered. Her name is Loa, she is a stranger, she has been sent back home…to Iceland. Cora, who had no idea of this woman's life outside their relationship, is deeply moved : she decides to meet up with her in order to finish the treatment.

In a café, Sandrine, 25 years old, recounts without regrets her arrival in Paris without money, her initiation into the profession of pickpocketing, and her stays in prison. Certain aspects of her story strangely echo the words of the police officer who arrested her.

David, Tinna, Svanhvit, Hrönn and Oli live in Reykjavik, are less than 25 years old and work during summer while pursuing their studies during winter. In their eyes reflects the want to cross the sea and discover the world just like their ancestor Erik the Red.

This is a tale of forged paintings. Nothing could be more ordinary. Only the action takes place in Iceland, a country with a population of 300.000, where everybody is cousin with everybody else and has been for generations. The minor incident suddenly becomes a major affair.