Driving Mum

Jon is a middle-aged man who lives with his elderly mother in rural Iceland. His overbearing mother always knows what’s best so it's only natural that when she dies, Jon fulfils her very specific wishes on how to be laid to rest. He dresses her dead body, does her make-up and puts her in the back seat of his car along with his loyal dog Bresnef to drive across the country. Accompanying loved ones on their final journey is always a sordid affair, but in this dark comedy, it’s quite the opposite. What makes this film special however, is the author’s and actors’ unique sympathy and understanding of its characters, making it one of the brightest and most memorable film experiences of the year.

The silent Jón is played by Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson (PARENTS, WHITE NIGHT WEDDING). The mother is played by Kristbjörg Kjeld, who recently appeared in another award-winning Icelandic film, SUMMERLIGHT... AND THEN COMES THE NIGHT. The film even features director Hilmar Oddsson himself as one of the peripheral characters.

Director, screenwriter and musician Hilmar Oddsson made his debut with THE BEASTS in 1986. Since then, he has made several feature films, including COLD LIGHT (2004), and his most recent film DRIVING MUM has been widely acclaimed - in addition to being nominated for the Nordic Film Council Film Award, it won the Icelandic Edda Award in several categories and was named Film of the Year at Estonia's Tallinn Black Nights.

The screening will be preceded by a lecturer's introduction by Anežka Soukupová from Scandinavian House focusing on Nordic books dealing with the theme of death.

More about the event here: https://www.skandinavskydum.cz/readnordicfilm-roadtrip-with-mom/