FEARLESS FLYERS review by Marinell Haegelin
Icelandic director Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson ’ s black comedy ’ s wickedness grows exponentially as glitches multiply , testing the protagonist ’ s timetable . He knows , too , all about Iceland ’ s weather conditions , particularly regarding the challenges for airplanes landing / taking off .
© WELTKINO FILMVERLEIH
FEARLESS FLYERS
FLIEGEN FÜR ANFÄNGER ; NORTHERN COMFORT
GERMANY | ICELAND | UK 2023 OPENED OCTOBER 12 , 2023
DIRECTED BY : HAFSTEINN GUNNAR SIGURÐSSON
WRITING CREDITS : HALLDÓR LAXNESS HALLDÓRSSON , TOBIAS MUNTHE , HAFSTEINN GUNNAR SIGURÐSSON
PRINCIPAL ACTORS : LYDIA LEONARD , TIMOTHY SPALL , ELLA RUMPF , SVERRIR GUDNASON , SIMON MANYONDA
The simulation test is completed , and the seven terrified individuals sit gaping in fear as Esther ( Ashley McGuire ) explains their final test — a real , live flight from London . Esther ’ s calm , soothing voice is in control of the class , and her inept assistant , Charlie ( Simon Manyonda ), is reminding them , “ It ’ s not the destination , it ’ s the flight .” They desperately want to overcome their fear of flying . At the airport , though , when another glitch occurs and then a destination-change is announced , their numbers drop . Only Sarah ( Lydia Leonard ), the anxious and apprehensive property developer ; Edward ( Timothy Spall ), the prizewinning novelist ; and Alfons ( Sverrir Gudnason ), the entrepreneur being towed along by his influencer girlfriend Coco ( Ella Rumpf ) gamely follow Charlie onboard . Then the plane incurs a really rough patch ; they land , rumpled and feeling equal doses of consternation and stupefaction . Realizing how off course she is regarding the meeting of boyfriend Tom ( Emun Elliott ) and daughter ( Serene Gardner Masoud ), Sarah panics . The next glitch sends them to a wellness hotel . Coco and Alfons find common ground with Dries ( Björn Hlynur Haraldsson ); it evolves into a “ fight or flight ” situation , with Charlie flying by the seat of his pants . The fearless readjust their compasses , putting pressure on Ralph ( Rob Delaney ).
Sigurðsson and co-scriptwriters Halldór Laxness Halldórsson and Tobias Munthe are not concerned with propriety or political correctness in their wacky screenplay , so take heed . The cast is good ; Spall ’ s character is full of surprises , and interestingly , again vacuity characterizes the influencer — as in Triangle of Sadness ( 2022 ). Production values are good : Niels Thastum ’ s cinematography ( they filmed at Gatwick airport , London , during a pandemic restriction ), Kristján Loðmfjörð ’ s editing , and Björn Viktorsson and Huldar Frever Arnarson ’ s sound design . Daníel Bjarnason ’ s lovely music weaves violin medleys with wide-ranging classical selections from Vivaldi to Mozart . As the fearless flyers ’ situation becomes dire , one then another realize that only by sticking together can they hope to eat currywurst in Römerberg . 97 minutes
48 HAMBURG HAPPENINGS