Icelandic-Danish coming-of-age drama “Heartstone”, directed by Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson, took part in full-length film competition of 46^th Kyiv International Film Festival “Molodist”. The movie impressed film critics as well as festival audience, because it took FIPRESCI Award and Audience Award. One of the producers of “Heartstone” Anton Mani Svansson, who arrived in Kyiv to present the film, agreed to answer our questions and told us, why they couldn’t start shooting the “Heartstone” for 10 years and how the idea of the film changed during this time; which member of the crew was almost seriously injured; how they selected young and adult cast; about the lack of words’ meaning and importance of actions in expressing human feelings and how it’s represented in the film.

- Anton, “Heartstone” is the first full-length movie for Gudmundur Arnar Gundmundsson. Is this the first full-length movie for you as a producer or you had experience in producing full-length movies before?

- It’s the first full-length movie for me as well. Me and Gudmundur started working on short films together like 10 years ago. After that we grew and did more projects. We made two short films with a youth theme specifically to prove ourselves and be able to get financing to produce “Heartstone”.

- You and Gudmundur have been preparing for shooting “Heartstone” for 10 years? What was the problem? Financing? Cast? Or the message, idea of the movie were transforming?

- I think it’s interesting that actually the idea of the story didn’t change that much during all this time. Gudmundur went with this idea to a screenwriting workshop called North by Northwest and made a fantastic first draft. And on that time the problem was that he lacked directing experience. Gudmundur had been to Art School, but he hadn’t been directing films at that time. So he needed to practice, and then started period of doing his own films, short films. All those years Gudmundur has been growing as an artist and working on short films in order to be able to handle, so he would be confident in doing “Heartstone” properly. In 2011 me and him decided to skip Film School and devote all our time into shooting two really great short films. We wanted to prove that we’re able to do this feature film. And it work so well, because “Whale Valley” [short film, directed by Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson, in 2013 – D.Sh.] premiered in Cannes, we were awarded with “Special Mention in the Official Competition”. Of course, after that financing started really going. We were really fortunate.

- You said, Gudmundur skipped Film School?

- Actually, he applied to Film School, but didn’t get in. He was told he was too far in his development as an artist at that point. So we then decided: OK, if it’s not the right way, we’ll do it in our own way.

- So Gudmundur doesn’t have professional education?

- Not in film directing. He graduated from art school and then went to a screenwriting seminar.

- I’d say that “Heartstone” is rather provocative film, in the realm of teenager’s sexuality in particular. Did you hear any complaints about that?

- I think it’s interesting. I heard only recently, that some people feel this way about it. I really don’t think so. I simply feel it is very sincere, very honest… And I never felt in the process that we were pushing anything too hard. It was all so normal and natural. And as well interesting that the young actors were actually at the same age as the characters supposed to be in the film. They were actually going through all those emotions during filming. I think they grew 2 years in our 2 months of shooting.

- Was it easy to select young actors, who played brilliantly in the “Heartstone”? Did you look for kids with acting experience or for beginners, who could be more natural?

- Actually, not that many films are shot in Iceland, not that many kids have acting experience. But few of our kids had experience in some TV-shows and one played in a film before. Of the two leading actors only one boy had been in a short film before. During the casting we got thousand applications from kids, and we tried out around 150. We looked for the natural kids, kids who were really open, really smart and who were alike characters in some ways, so they could be themselves. Then we had a really long period of casting and many months of rehearsing, where we basically gave them acting lessons. We wanted to have exact kids for the film and we were teaching them to do natural acting. “Heartstone” is very scripted, but they were allowed to move within the frame during shooting. So they could be themselves and in the same time they learned the story and they had time to become the characters.

- What about adult cast? I spotted well-known Danish actor Søren Malling in one of supportive roles.

- Gudmundur knew Søren Malling before, a Danish producer got him once for a short film of his. So when Gudmundur asked Søren to come to Iceland and do a part, he was really happy to come. He said: “Should I speak Icelandic? – No problem”. But when we started working, he almost gave up. Actors, who played the parents of leading characters, are really amazing, great actors, well-known in Iceland. And even the guy in the shop (I don’t know if you noticed) – he is actually the main actor from the film “Virgin Mountain”. We were very lucky to get him for this small role.

- What was the most difficult episode for the crew in the film?

- There were so many moments that were difficult in different ways, because we were playing on the whole emotional scale. I guess the most difficult shoot was the first shoot we did, the scene on the cliff.

- When Thor climbs down the rocky cliff to fetch seagull’s eggs?

- Yes. Because he actually did it for real. Of course, we used all security we could possibly have. And before we started shooting, the director went down there before the actor – he did the same as the actor. After that the director said: “Oh, what am I doing? This is crazy!” But the young actor was very brave. But still came one accident. When we were finishing the shoot, a big rock almost hit our cameraman. We were very fortunate that the rock only hit the camera slightly and our camera man escaped without any harm.

- I want to accentuate the work of the scenography of “Heartstone”. For example, that poster above the bed of one of the young characters, saying “Young Adult”.

- In the movie there is a fantastic scenography. Whole production design was really well thought out. For five months our art department team lived in that small town, took over a few houses, built the shop, changed the whole house for Thor’s family etc.

- You said, crew had to live in the small distant town for five months, cameraman was almost seriously injured… After that, how many members of “Heartstone” crew agreed to work with you on your next films?

- (laughing) I think everybody is really positive for the next film.

- I can’t help notice, that director pays very significant attention to non-verbal ways of expressing their feelings – all those touches, embraces, kisses… And it is shown, that words, especially in really dramatic situations, are empty and helpless.

- I think it is very important for the director. It’s the question of lack of words, lack of word’s meaning. So there is importance of actions. Environment, the nature portrays feelings as well. You can see it as well in “Whale valley”. Actually, in the beginning we did a 3-minute version of “Whale valley”, and it was just because the director was exploring this moment, which takes place within the first 3 minutes, when the older brother  holds down and embraces his younger brother; exploring this special bond many people have with their siblings. It’s about the importance of that real bond, which you can often have with someone really unique, like your childhood friends. I think it’s so magical. I really connect with it myself, with my childhood, and how unique these childhood memories and childhood friendships can be – they are so often very different from friendships you have later on in your life.

- What’s in your life now? Have you got more friends, you know from your childhood years, or those, whom you get acquainted being adult?

- I’ve got both, and it’s such a different friendship. It’s something special with those you have childhood memories with, it is a strong friendship even though we don’t have that much in common any more and don’t meet that often.

Spoiler alert!

- Were the other variants of the ending?

- Not really. It was this way all the time, because director wanted to show hope. One time in the editing we discussed if actually we should kill Christian. But we decided, that it won’t be right for the movie, we really liked to give hope. It was very important for the director to give that balance to the film. The plot of the film was inspired by Gudmundur’s childhood. He partly grew up in a small village and he had a friend who later on committed suicide. Unfortunately, it is a very big problem in Iceland, how many men, especially young boys, commit suicide.

- “Heartstone”, as well as previous Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson’s short films, can be called “coming-of-age” dramas. In the upcoming films will your characters grow up?

- Gudmundur says that he is now so well connected with his youth and therefore likes to explore and reflect on that period in his life. And he says, that probably he will do films about adults when he has also gotten more distance from his first adult years in order to be able to reflect as clearly on them. His next film will be about a bit older teenagers than the ones in “Heartsone”, and it’ll be rougher, more gritty. It will also explore the theme of overcoming once insecurity and the importance of friendship but in a totally different way, with more troubled, misfit teenagers.

P.S. Україномовний варіант інтерв’ю читайте в грудневому номері журналу «ЛанруЖ»