Driving Mum Explained

Driving Mum
Director:	Hilmar Oddsson
Producer:	Hlín Jóhannesdóttir
Starring:	Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson Kristbjörg Kjeld Hera Hilmar
Cinematography:	Óttar Guðnason
Editing:	Hendrik Mägar
Music:	Tõnu Kõrvits
Studio:	Alexandra Films S.A. Icelandic Film Center Ursus Parvus
Distributor:	Prokino Filmverleih
Runtime:	112 minutes
Country:	Iceland, Estonia
Language:	Icelandic

Driving Mum is a 2022 comedy drama film written and directed by Hilmar Oddsson that stars Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson, Kristbjörg Kjeld, and Hera Hilmar.^{[1] [2]} Driving Mum is shot in black-and-white.^[3]

Plot summary

Set in 1980, after the sudden passing of his mother (Kristbjörg Kjeld), Jón (Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson) takes his mother's corpse and the family dog, Bresnef, on one last trip to Eyrarbakki to bury her, as her instructions.^[4]

Cast

• Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson as Jón
• Kristbjörg Kjeld as Mamma, Jón's late mother
• Hera Hilmar as Bergdís
• Tómas Lemarquis as Hitchhiker
• Harpa Arnardóttir as farmer
• Kjartan Bjargmundsson as farmer
• Þorsteinn Gunnar Bjarnason as prisoner
• Arnmundur Ernst Björnsson as Theatre Group Member
• Pétur Eggerz as prisoner
• Ásgrímur Egilsson as prisoner
• Alexander Dantes Erlendsson as prison guard
• Pálmi Gestsson
• Einar Gunn as funeral director
• Halldór Gylfason as prison guard
• Kolbrun Halldórsdóttir as Theatre Group Member
• Jóhann Sigurðsson as warden
• Steiney Skúladóttir
• Björn Stefánsson as angry driver

Release

Driving Mum won the Grand Prix Prize for Best Film at the Tallinn Black Night Film Festival^{[5] [6] [7]} and was also an Industry Select title at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.^[8]

Sena distributed Driving Mum in Iceland.

Prokino Filmverleih helped to distribute German-language dubs and got Swiss rights for Driving Mum from Alief.

Reception

Wendy Ide of ScreenDaily praised the film, stating that it was, "a road movie from beyond - or before - the grave"^[9]

Amber Wilkinson of Eye For Film praised the soundtrack and cinematography and also interviewed Hilmar Oddsson who said, "I used one of these old compositions, which we tried by coincidence in one driving scene, it’s cello and choral voices. It’s so beautiful and he liked that piece himself in that spot. But it was something he had already recorded and published.”^[10]

Hungarian director Ildikó Enyedi, said that "Driving Mum charmed us all with its transparent, simple, but bold film language, with its graceful sense of humour, with its unpretentious way of speaking about burning questions of personal life. A film which tells us that it is never too late."

Producer Hlin Johannesdottir stated that, "Both Hilmar Oddsson and myself feel delighted and honoured to have Driving Mum selected for the main competition at [the] Black Nights festival and to have its world premiere in Tallinn. We had Estonian talent involved in the production and this will be a perfect venue for the film to start its journey to the audiences."^[11]

Driving Mum was awarded Film of the Year at the 2024 Edda Awards.^[12]

References

1. Web site: 2022-11-24 . Review: Driving Mum . 2023-08-14 . Cineuropa - the best of european cinema . en.
2. Web site: Driving Mum . Icelandic Film Centre.
3. Web site: 2023-02-17 . From Iceland — Monochrome Magic — With a Corpse for Colour . 2023-08-15 . The Reykjavik Grapevine . en-US.
4. Web site: Murray . Andrew . 2023-03-02 . Glasgow Film Festival 2023: Driving Mum Review . 2023-08-15 . The Upcoming.
5. Web site: 2022-11-28 . Hilmar Oddsson's Icelandic comedy Driving Mum wins the 26th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival . 2023-08-15 . Cineuropa - the best of european cinema . en.
6. Web site: Dalton2022-11-27T12:50:00+00:00 . Ben . Icelandic comedy 'Driving Mum' wins Tallinn Black Nights Grand Prix . 2023-08-15 . Screen . en.
7. Web site: Franklin . Anna . FESTIVALS: Icelandic/Estonian Driving Mum Wins 2022 Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival - FilmNewEurope.com . 2023-08-15 . www.filmneweurope.com . en-gb.
8. Web site: Jones . Holly . 2023-02-14 . Alief, Germany's Prokino Strike Deal on Tallinn Best Film Winner 'Driving Mum' (EXCLUSIVE) . 2023-08-14 . Variety . en-US.
9. Web site: Ide2022-11-28T09:20:00+00:00 . Wendy . 'Driving Mum': Tallinn Review . 2023-08-14 . Screen . en.
10. Web site: Eye For Film: Hilmar Oddsson on the music and use of theatre in Driving Mum . 2023-08-15 . www.eyeforfilm.co.uk.
11. Web site: Woodham . Karen . 2022-11-08 . Driving Mum celebrates world premiere at TIFF • Blazing Minds . 2023-08-15 . Blazing Minds . en-GB.
12. Web site: Einarsdóttir . Júlía Margrét . Á ferð með mömmu sópaði til sín Edduverðlaunum . RÚV.is . RÚV . 15 April 2024 . is.

External links

• • Driving Mum at Icelandic Film Centre