Reykjavik Guesthouse -- Rent a Bike (2002)
Directed by Bjorn Thors / Unnur Osp Stefansdottir
Run Time - 78 min. |
Countries - Iceland |
Share on
Synopsis by Ryan Shriver
Since the death of his father, 30-year-old Jóhann's (Hilmir Snaer Gudnason) emotional well-being has taken a turn for the worse. Not only was his domineering father a forceful and trusted business partner, he was also Jóhann's one friend in the world. Now having to manage both his business and personal affairs for the first time, Jóhann proves a failure at both as he allows his guesthouse to go empty while using the property as a sort of bunker to hide away from the rest of Reykjavik's population. In doing so, Jóhann's business debts begin to stack up as his debtors threaten to foreclose on the guesthouse. Just as Jóhann has sunken to a seemingly irreversible low, a neighbor boy and fellow social outcast named Finnur (Stefan Eiriksson) begins visiting him regularly, thus forming the basis of an odd friendship. Emboldened by his newfound sense of belonging, Jóhann decides to make another go of running the guesthouse -- but his confidence is tested as he and Finnur are forced to confront the issues in their lives they had previously been ignoring.