Bye Bye Blue Bird - a post I just put up on IMDB.com

(This post refers to BYE BYE BLUE BIRD, a Faroese film by Katrin Ottarsdóttir made in 1999)

I must first note that, contrary to the previous reviewer's comment, this film is NOT set in Iceland. It is set in the beautiful and remote Faroe Islands. Funny, I am used to people referring to the Faroes as Denmark, not Iceland! I must also admit that my comments are somewhat biased because I have family that acted in the film and other family that sang on the soundtrack. I have also met one of the two lead actresses and know family of some of the actors. My family is from the Faroe Islands, you see. I saw this film at my college in Colorado, and was absolutely thrilled to see part of my life represented onscreen. It was the first time I had ever seen a film in the Faroese language, even BARBARA - a film based on Faroese legend - is in Danish. There have been a couple of films before this one in Faroese, but I hadn't had the chance to see them (I have seen one since). I loved this movie for those reasons, but I also thought it was quite enjoyable in and of itself. I would have to see it again before I could speak more critically on it, since on the first viewing I was just so excited to see it all. But some interesting things to watch in this film are the hints of colonialism and the search for identity that I feel are such a part of the Faroese psyche. Notice the relationships with the Danes - who speak only Danish in the film, for those who don't pick it up. This film is also truly quirky, which makes it a lot more interesting to me than other road films. As a film grad, style counts a lot for me, since so many films are so devoid of it. Now if only this (and other Faroese films) could be released in the States!