Songbirds

Directed by Þorsteinn Jónsson

The film tells the story of the charming, ninety-three year old lady Gudny, who is staying in the nursing home of Hrafnista in Hafnarfjördur, Iceland. She tells tales of her pet rat from her home region in eastern Iceland, paints, sings in the choir, plans to stage a theatrical sketch and play the leading role. We also meet Sigurdur Olafsson, who claims to be in Paradise, and Klara Tryggvason, who gets her visits in mail and by phone; most of her children are living abroad. We visit Leifur Eiriksson, who changes making his bed into a ritual of physical exercise. Gudny has only learnt the Lord's Prayer and the Bible Stories, but she knows how to tell a good story and radiates the wisdom of the ages. "Why can't we talks about death?", she says. "My grandchildren ask: Grandma, are you sure you'll be with God?" "Yes, quite sure".