Last Autumn
Description
On the remote Icelandic coast sits a sheep farm tended to by a husband and wife who have lived off the land for years, but have decided that this will be the last season they spend with their shimmying, braying herd. With intimate attention to the couple’s routine, the landscape, and the well-loved animals that inhabit it, director Yrsa Roca Fannberg patiently observes the rhythm of this isolated homestead, one that cannot keep up with impending change, heralded through the radio that broadcasts the news during each meal.
“It’s a wistful film, depicting what could clearly be called the end of an era, although instead of The Last Picture Show, you get the last herding, as the whole family, including the city folk, gathers one more time to drive the sheep from the hills. It’s especially poignant as it’s quite clear that this kind of life brought these two people joy – and not just them: when their animals are being fed milk straight from a bottle, there is some truly impressive tail-waggling going on.” –Marta Balaga, Cineuropa
Trailer
Biographies
Yrsa Roca Fannberg made her documentary directorial debut with Salome (2014), and received a nomination for Documentary of the Year from Iceland’s Edda Awards. The Last Autumn is her second feature.
“I wanted to capture a dramatic event, the death of a way of living, in a non-dramatic way. Farmers, especially in Iceland, are not dramatic. They deal with life as it comes, like a task. Of course, they have emotions, but it is very pragmatic. To me, it was important to capture a way of life, which in a way is the backbone of how Iceland has seen itself during centuries.” –Yrsa Roca Fannberg