“Your lack of discipline and respect for this institution is appalling.”

If you are interested in Icelandic film, then add “Noi” to the list of those to watch. Noi (Tomas Lemarquis) is a 17-year-old boy who lives with his grandmother in a remote Icelandic fjord. He sometimes attends high school, and when he does, he turns in blank test papers and sleeps through his French lesson. Noi establishes a daily routine of mild rebellion in which he skips school and hangs out with a Kierkegaard-bashing bookshop owner.

Noi meets Iris (Elin Hansdottir) a girl who works at a local petrol station, and it looks as though Noi’s life may be improving, but instead, daily boredom and hopelessness finally push Noi to the brink of a bigger rebellion.

One of the reasons “Noi” is so very interesting is the way in which the film emphasizes the influence of climate on behaviour and mental stability. Even Noi’s albino complexion seems to be the result of living in this frozen landscape. The oppressive silent blanket of snow and ice doesn’t make life impossible, but it does make it extremely difficult–and the simplest things become monumental tasks. Noi even has to dig his way out of his front door, and at one point Noi tries to meet Iris outside, but it’s freezing cold, so they are forced to take shelter. But apart from the rather obvious physical effects of the ice and snow, the climate seems to permeate the brains of the people around Noi. They exist in various states of despair and hopelessness. Humour and even the ability to experience joy or excitement are entirely absent in these people’s lives. Instead the Icelandic villagers drearily huddle in their homes and entertain themselves with jigsaw puzzles or board games. Noi, in many ways, seems to be the only person in the village who realises that life there is not acceptable, and his rebellion–his attempts to escape–are manifestations of that desperate realisation.

“Noi” presents a bleak depiction of everyday life, yet the film cleverly tempers this with touches of bleak, dark humour. If you enjoy Icelandic film, I also recommend “Reykjavik 101″ and “The Seagull’s Laughter.” Directed by Dagur Kari, the film is in Icelandic with English subtitles.