Writer/director Grímur Hákonarson’s eagerly-anticipated follow up to the worldwide hit Rams is a rousing, David-and-Goliath comedy about a farmer’s wife who steps up to take on the corrupt local co-op in her remote Icelandic valley.
Dairy farmers Inga (Arndís Hrönn Egilsdóttir) and her husband Reynir (Hinrik Ólafsson), love each other deeply, but are trapped – they’re in debt, they’re working 24/7 and haven’t had a vacation in years. Inga has always been frustrated by the unquestioned commitment Reynir has to the local co-operative, unable to see the logic in them holding a monopoly over the milk they produce (and the cost of their groceries and supplies).
So after disaster strikes, the plucky Inga decides to shine a light on the organisation’s exploitative practices. Unfortunately, everyone else in the community is dependent on its economic heft, and Inga’s quest soon makes her the target of a ruthless adversary.
Reminiscent of underdog fables such as Woman At War and Three Billboards, and driven by Egilsdóttir’s feisty performance, Hákonarson’s humanistic and charming film is a winning mix of Icelandic gruffness and wry humour.