Director Gudmundsson on Growing Up and His Berlin Film ‘Beautiful Beings’
Alissa Simon Film CriticFor his sophomore feature, “Beautiful Beings,” playing in the Berlin Film Festival’s Panorama, Icelandic helmer-writer Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson returns to the subject of his prize-winning first feature “Heartstone” (2016): fraught adolescent friendships and difficult family lives. In “Beautiful Beings,” a horrendously bullied youth forms a tentative rapport with a trio of tough outsiders. Together, the boys experiment with aggression and violence, but also learn about loyalty and love.The action is captured with a shooting style that blends naturalism and lyricism, using mostly first-time young actors.