Des chevaux et des hommes

Non, mais c'est vraiment bizarre. Ce n'est certainement pas un film sur les chevaux (comme le film est présenté), bien qu'il y en ait plus dans ce film que d'Islandais décalés (qui sont vraiment dépeints comme de grands idiots dans le film). Parfois c'est comique, parfois c'est triste voire tragique, mais dans tous les cas c'est étrange. Cependant, ce n'est certainement pas un film approprié pour les amateurs de chevaux (ils auraient probablement fui du cinéma pendant la scène où les entrailles du cheval sortent, comme cela s'est d'ailleurs produit lors de ma projection). La meilleure condition pour apprécier ce film est d'avoir un sens de l'humour vraiment, mais vraiment très noir. (05/07/2014)

A horse as both an integrated object of love and a tool. Often to its detriment... The lively music matches the rhythm of trots, canters, and gaits; if there’s any whinnying, it’s rarely of dark humor. After two Icelandic triple measures, the viewer realizes that what is permitted for the lord is not permitted for the commoner. The purity of the Icelandic pony has been preserved for over a thousand years by banning the breeding of other breeds, but from this, it’s unclear whether the same approach benefits the locals. Benedikt Erlingsson's trademarks: the stubbornness of Icelanders, the beauty of the local landscape, and a foreigner on a bicycle. (26/10/2023)

This film shows the essence of Iceland. You get to see crazy situations, the blending of man and nature, and a proof that Icelanders like their Icelandic type of horse even more than they like themselves. Then there is a string of absurdities where you don’t know whether to cry or laugh. While watching you’re so shocked you forget to laugh. Addin the tons of beautifully gloomy shots of the Icelandic nature, which talk to my soul. Nod bad… it’s crazy and objectivelly would probably deserve three stars but I’ll add the fourth thanks to my enthusiasm for Iceland. (16/03/2019)

I went in for a dose of Scandinavian black humour, but I really wasn’t expecting this. The jokes run one after the other. Ideal film for horse people. (08/10/2014)

A very peculiar story from Iceland flavored with music reminiscent of Emir Kusturica. I genuinely felt sorry for the horses, seeing how terribly their owners sometimes treated them, but on the other hand, the absurdity of some situations really amused me. The height of the monstrosity of the coexistence of man and horse seemed to me to be when, in a snowstorm, a stray young man killed the horse that had carried him on its back all the way, and after eviscerating its entrails, hid in it to survive the cold. Despite such madness, however, the local villagers seemed to genuinely love their horses. I had very mixed feelings while watching the film, but I certainly wasn't bored - I don't think that was possible. (02/04/2020)