THE ICELANDIC DREAM (ISLENSKI DRAUMURINN) European Showcase

Writer/director Robert I. Douglas’ wry, bittersweet comedy about a rudderless young man’s feeble attempts to get ahead was an instant hit in Iceland and one of the country’s highest grossing films of the past year.

For Toti, a disgruntled, 30-year-old soccer-obsessed divorced father, the fall from grace isn’t a very long journey. His ex-wife and eight-year old daughter live with an American, of all insults; his 18-year-old girlfriend couldn’t care less about soccer; and his momentarily thriving import cigarette business goes south when the product is banned for containing a narcotic. He’s even thrown in prison. But the unkindest cut of all for Toti? Valur, his beloved soccer team, is demoted to second division.

Thor Sverrisson’s terrifically understated performance is the glue that holds the film together. As played by Sverrisson, most of the time Toti is thoroughly maddening, but he is also revealed to be a loving father, loyal friend and a hopeless, if somewhat reluctant, romantic.