Of Horses and Men

Description

In rural Iceland, life revolves around horses — and one’s neighbors, as observed through binoculars, which flash in the sun to remind everyone in the valley that these hills have eyes. There are no small-town secrets in Of Horses and Men, “men” referring to humankind overall, since women are very much a part of this story. The literal translation of the Icelandic title is “Horse in Us,” and it’s sometimes hard to tell the difference between two- and four-legged creatures in first-time filmmaker Benedikt Erlingsson’s darkly comic, gorgeously photographed series of connected tales. Nearly every chapter begins with a shot reflected in a large, limpid equine eye, and it’s easy to wonder what the horses think of the quirky and passionate humans in their midst: the single mother who’s horrified when her lusty stallion mounts a saucy mare while her crush, the most sought-after bachelor in the countryside, is in the saddle (in just one of the film’s many “How did they get the horses to do that?” moments); or the man who frantically nudges his steed into the sea to pursue a ship that might have vodka aboard. In some cases, shocking death rears up to stomp down any semblance of twee-ness — but despite its running string of tragedies, Of Horses and Men‘s tone never downshifts into darkness for long. Aided by an inspired, jaunty score, it trots into each vignette with enchanting enthusiasm, vividly illuminating an isolated community and its many beasts within. –Cheryl Eddy

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