A man’s corpse is found in his apartment. “A typically Icelandic, messy and uninteresting crime where the evidence is not even concealed” observes one of the investigators. A yellowed photo of a tomb found under a desk drawer leads the investigation to events that took place 40 years before. Jar City is adapted from the Arnaldur Indriason best seller by the same name and is the 5th feature film from Baltasar Kormakur who directed 101 Reykjavik, The Sea and Crime City.
As the story unfolds we follow a policeman from forgotten rural Iceland to the very heart of modern technology’s greatest symbol, where detective Erlendur must stir up memories and reveal buried secrets. Memory is at the centre of a story which tells Erlendur’s investigation at the same time as; in an earlier time space continuum, we discover the life of a man who has been destroyed by the loss of a child. The relationship with the father is also one of the main elements of a story that explores the issue of transmission in a full frontal and metaphorical way. Continuing the mistakes of elders, transmitting an evil that should no longer be spread, parent-child relationships are the main subject of the film. At the same time as he carries out his investigation, detective Erlendur renews his relationship with his wayward teenage daughter who finds her way home after an unfortunate pregnancy. Genetic heritage plays a key role in this theme and in the investigation leading Erlendur to the heart of the DeCode Genetics Corporation that was created in 2002 and was a major event in Iceland. 95% of all Icelandic residents were genetically “registered” in that year and the consequences thereof are cleverly exploited by the novel and film as they focus a variety of fascinating reflections on the subject.
The opening sequence sets the formal tone of the film: from the little girl’s hospital room to preparing her body for burial, the bluish light bathes images in a gritty grain and provides a specific and carefully defined focus. The images, especially those clearly delineated shots that are sometimes yellow or blue depending on the timing of depicted events are the remarkable work of director of photography Bergsteinn Björgúlfsson whose work we recently admired in the refreshing Back Soon by Solveig Anspach. In order to film his characters closely and best use the Icelandic landscapes without falling into an easy “postcard” aesthetic, the director depicts a country that is drawn between its archaic moments and its modernity and offers a great alternative to formatted American thrillers while avoiding their equally formulaic stumbling blocks.
Read the interview with Baltasar Kormakur about Jar City.