On the surface, "Noi Albinoi" may remind some viewers of "Powder," the best-left-forgotten 1995 drama from controversial filmmaker Victor Salva — primarily the similar look of both title characters.
Yet, as odd and off-putting as "Powder" is, this Icelandic import from filmmaker Dagur Kari easily bests it in the quirk department. And there are sudden, unexpected shifts in tone as the film goes from dark and comic to tragic and dramatic, then back again, seemingly at the drop of a hat.
Consequently, "Noi Albinoi" is very much an acquired taste. Also, it should be mentioned that the film's PG-13 rating is questionable (one of the characters wears a T-shirt that prominently displays an R-rated swear word).
The title roughly translates to "Noi the albino." The title character is a 17-year-old malcontent (Tomas Lemarquis) who's failing at school and at pretty much everything else. That's left his alcoholic and similarly unsuccessful father (Throstur Leo Gunnarsson) wondering what to do with him.
Meanwhile, Noi is busy dreaming of an escape from his icy (in more ways than one) hometown. He's hoping to take with him Iris (Elin Hansdottir), the pretty new gas station attendant who has caught his eye. However, Iris' father (Hjalti Rognvaldsson) doesn't want him anywhere near her, and he's probably right. Even the local fortuneteller sees nothing but bad things in the young man's future.
The director is constantly playing off the bleakness — as well as the beauty — of the Icelandic surroundings. And many of the darker story elements are leavened by low-key bits of humor that may remind some moviegoers of the deadpan works of Jim Jarmusch, or even Finnish filmmaker Aki Kaurismaki.
There's at least one laugh-out-loud moment, which is fortunate. So is the casting of Lemarquis, who keeps a straight face — or a blank expression — throughout, giving his performance a silent-film quality. Newcomer Hansdottir is also quite good and manages to make her character's motivations properly enigmatic.
"Noi Albinoi" is rated PG-13 for occasional use of strong profanity (including one usage of the so-called "R-rated" curse word) and crude slang terms, violence (a bar scuffle, as well as target shooting), and brief glimpses of nude photos. Running time: 88 minutes.
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