101 Reykjavík

A slacker finds himself dealing with girl trouble he never knew existed in this offbeat comedy set in Iceland. Hlynur ( Hilmir Snær Gudnason ) is a 28-year-old layabout who lives with his mother, Berglind ( Hanna María Karlsdóttir ), in a run-down section of Reykjavík. Though he doesn't have a job, Hlynur makes enough off the dole to spend his evenings drinking beer, and has a girlfriend, Hofi ( Thrúdur Vilhjálmdóttir ), who regards his lack of ambition with a mildly annoyed tolerance. Berglind decides to take in a boarder, Lola Milagros ( Victoria Abril ), a lovely young woman from Spain who gives dance lessons. Hlynur is instantly captivated with Lola and begins making a play for her, even though she's an open and unapologetic lesbian. In the midst of a drunken New Year's Eve party, Hlynur wears down Lola's resistance, and the two ring in the new year having sex. Lola soon discovers she's pregnant, but Hlynur is startled to learn that Lola and Berglind are now lovers and they intend to raise the child together — meaning he's not only competing with his mother for the same woman, but that his child will be brought up as his sibling. As if this weren't enough, Hlynur soon learns that Hofi is also carrying his child. 101 Reykjavík was the debut feature from writer/director Baltasar Kormákur , and received an enthusiastic reception at the 2000 Locarno Film Festival . — Mark Deming