101 Reykjavik

A vivid, energetic dark comedy about a lifeless, lazy Gen-Xer, this Icelandic import follows Hlynur (Hilmir Snaer Guonason), a scruffy lay-about antihero who is so willfully aimless and irresponsible that he can't cope with much of anything beyond surfing web porn all day while living at home with his mother. So imagine the chaos he brings upon himself when he impregnates his mom's wild lesbian girlfriend (Spanish actress Victoria Abril)! With a firm hold on the film's pungent sense of humor, director Baltasar Kormakur traces Hlynur's path of ambition-free self-destruction, deftly crafting a self-deprecating sympathy for the guy along the way, all the while aided by a strong sense of place that builds personal warmth into the glacial setting, and a great soundtrack by former Blur and Sugarcubes members. Recommended. (R. Blackwelder)