Villiljos, or Dramarama, is a weird little anthology movie made of five short films that are mostly unrelated, all about relationships in some way. The films are directed by five different directors, including Ragnar Bragason and Dagur Kári. A stellar cast is in all of them.
The best one is about a man who drives a hearse while arguing with his pet parrot. Björn Jörundur, who is in my opinion is one of the top Icelandic actors, deals with his relationship breaking up, his sarcastic parrot and the fact that the body he drove earlier in the day was of a teenage boy who committed suicide.
Although it’s weird, the rest of the films rely more on being absurd. There is the one about a tense couple who are out dining when another, Dadaistic and overbearing, couple joins them. Another is about a group of teen soon-to-be booms discussing if one should get an abortion. A third is about a band breaking up while their plane is heading for a crash.
All of the films are interesting in their own way. They are all minimalistic and could be performed on a stage—I’m sure some of them were written for it, but the production makes them grander.
The lighting and colour grading is beautiful. Every scene is rich with atmosphere that underlines the sometimes dramatic and over-the-top performances. The actors were all either well established already or became so in later years. That includes the “glue” that connects the segments, Ingvar E. Sigurðsson, who is a ghost of a blind man who flies over the city of Reykjavík.
