FUSI/ VIRGIN MOUNTAIN
Iceland, 2015, 94 minutes, Colour.
Gunnar Jonsson, Ilmur Kristjansdotte.
Directed by Dagur Kari.
Fusi is a film that can be recommended. It may not seem a likely film to recommend as it centres on a 40 something man-child who lives with his mother, is large and ungainly, but keeps a steady job baggage handling and other work at the local airport, is a good cook, tinkers with machines and, with a friend, recreates battle scenes, especially that of El Alamein.
He lives with his mother who has a boyfriend living in. He is bullied at work, rather mercilessly. His mother’s boyfriend gives him a birthday present of a ticket to go to line dancing. He goes but does not go in, encountering a young woman after the lesson when a storm breaks out, giving her a lift home, she very grateful that he does not attack her.
She does persuade him to go the next week and he begins the dancing, takes her out for a meal to the same restaurant where he goes every Friday and has the same meal, has discussions about travel. She says she works in a flower shop but really is a garbage collector – and has a breakdown, experiencing depression, locking herself in her room, Fusi making meals for her, cleaning the unit, buying tickets for travelling to Egypt.
He is very ingenuous but very sincere. He persuades her to come out of the room, she paints her apartment, suddenly approaches him sexually and then invites him to live in. She has taken him to an empty shop and expressed an interest in doing something with it. When she goes back on her word and apologises, he goes to buy the shop and tidies it up and then gets on a plane to fly away – symbolic of his opening up to a world beyond what he is used to.
Gunnar Jonsson is excellent in the central role, building up an unexpected sympathy, in the film providing a portrait of somebody in the world would look down on.
1. The title, focus on Fusi himself, the play on words and ideas in the English title?
2. Iceland, settings, the home, airport work, restaurants, dancing class, the streets, the shop? The musical score?
3. An Icelandic story, universal? Unlikely central characters?
4. The portrait of Fusi, audience response to him initially, critical, getting to know him better, fat, awkward, his age? The dominant mother, her boyfriend? His playing the wargames with his friend, the battle of El Alamein? Alone, no girlfriend? Bullied at work, the tauns, putting him under the shower? His fixing the car engine, the invitation to the party, getting the stripper, urging her onto Fusi, her resistance? His fleeing?
5. At work, with his boss, their friendship? Getting some time off? Conscientious about work?
6. The little girl neighbour, her wanting to play, explaining the war game, at home, the toys, her father upset? Her wanting to go for the drive, the ice cream, going home, the police, the anger of the father, the police interrogating Fusi, the implications of the drive with the little girl? The father’s later apology?
7. The boyfriend, the gift of the ticket for the dance lessons? Fusi unwilling to go? The storm, Sophie, the lift home, the chatter, glad not to be killed? The promise for next week, his going, awkwardness at the line dancing, the moods? His mother’s interrogation? The bond with Sophie, going to the restaurant, his favourite restaurant, going every week, the same meal? The talk, getting to know each other, the discussions about travel? His going to the agency, wanting to go somewhere warm? Sophie and her depression, locking herself in, fired from her job, the lies about work in the flower shop, the garbage collection? Fusi making the meals, cleaning the unit? Going to her workplace, his time off, taking her place, the garbage and sorting, the friendly co-workers?
8. The mother, her friend, the blowtorch, his good cooking? His mother upset, the boyfriend walking out on her?
9. Helping Sophie, the change, painting the unit, the sexual encounter and the consequences?
10. Her suggesting that Fusi move in? Packing, arriving, her backing out of the arrangement, tears and apology?
11. Fusi and his buying the shop site for her and his repairing it?
12. Fusi, his capacity for acceptance, his being seen on the plane – and the daring of his going travelling, and some changes in his life?
