Tilbury
Directed by Viðar Víkingsson
Based on the short story by Thorarinn Eldjarn, this made-for-TV film mines the Icelandic lore of the Tilbury, a beast who could be summoned by women in times of financial hardship and starvation. But the gifts of the Tilbury come with their own brand of destruction. Set in 1940 during the British occupation, a country boy discovers his childhood sweetheart is having an affair with a British soldier, an ugly, impish man who spontaneously vomits green butter. Hearing the tale of the “tilberi,” he comes to suspect that this ostentatious soldier could be one of the evil creatures.
Set in 1940 during the British occupation, a country boy discovers his childhood sweetheart is having an affair with a British soldier, an ugly, impish man who spontaneously vomits green butter.
Cast: Kristján Franklin Magnúss, Helga Bernhard, Karl Ágúst Úlfsson, Erla Skúladóttir, Róbert Arnfinnsson
Member Reviews
A folkloric analogy of foreign military and cultural occupation and domestic collusion. I'm not fully aware of Iclandic history, but seemed to imply some sympathy toward Axis powers (Bario Kemp) and anti-semitism (were those menoras in Sigrun's room?). I wonder what was going on in 1987 in Europe, and Iceland specifically, that created the context for this movie.
Nope. Just nope. Boring with a stupid monster. The best part was seeing the 1987 box design with the Hershey bars being tossed to children set in 1941.
If you rely on captions consider skipping this one. They frequently switch between speaking English and Icelandic but only the Icelandic is captioned. It's a weird, wild ride though. I genuinely don't know if it's innocently exploring folklore or if it's pushing a pretty gross antisemitic message.
If you rely on captions consider skipping this one. They frequently switch between speaking English and Icelandic but only the Icelandic is captioned. It's a weird, wild ride though. I genuinely don't know if it's innocently exploring folklore or if it's pushing a pretty gross antisemitic message.
Unsettling, dreamlike and kind of funny. It's somewhere between Guy Maddin and David Lynch. Some truly excellent shots and cinematography (Helga walking up the stairs from the pool; the graveyard; the whole sequence with the red velvet dress was mesmerizing) and set design (the sandbagged hot tub!). A surprisingly rich movie for something that's only 57 minutes.