Day 10 @ MSPIFF 2016: 'Virgin Mountain' Reviewed
A Mel Brooks line about Larry David, from an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, popped into my head on a couple occasions while watching actor Gunnar Jónsson in the Icelandic film Virgin Mountain: "There's something about this middle-aged bald guy that's thrilling!" Jónsson, who is losing his hair and morbidly obese, looks nothing like your average leading man -- but he is utterly captivating.
Jónsson plays Fúsi, a gentle giant -- or to be more accurate, an enormous 43-year-old virgin -- who still lives with his mother and puts up with brutal bullies at his job. But his bleak existence gets a bit brighter with the help of a line dancing class, a quirky love interest and the friendship of a young neighbor.
Virgin Mountain is not a perfect movie, but it is adept at emotional manipulation. You may very well cry, laugh and seethe with anger while watching Fúsi navigate through this cruel and beautiful world of ours.
~Stephen Swanson
Virgin Mountain is playing at 9:50 p.m. at St. Anthony Theatre in Minneapolis, and on Saturday, April 23 at 10:05 p.m. at the same venue.
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Other Highlights For Saturday, April 16
Mr. Pig (Diego Luna, USA) Danny Glover and Maya Rudolph (Saturday Night Live, Bridesmaids) star as an estranged father and daughter who embark on a road trip to Mexico to sell a prized pig. (5:45 at Metropolitan State University in St. Paul)
Dragonfly ( Maribeth Romslo & Cara Epstein, USA) Filmed entirely in Minnesota, this indie uses heart and humor to tell the story of a family separated by divorce. WCCO's Jennifer Mayerle profiled Dragonfly and its filmmaker here. (4:45 at Rochester Galaxy 14 Cine)
Son Of Saul (László Nemes, Hungary) Catch this year's Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film. A concentration camp prisoner, forced to help the Nazis cremate bodies, secretly tries to give his son a proper burial. (9 p.m. at Rochester Galaxy 14 Cine)
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For the festival schedule, and a complete listing of all the movies being shown, click here. Ticket information is available here.
Throughout the entirety of the 2016 Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival, WCCO.com will be spotlighting one notable movie each day, along with other notable screenings. To see WCCO.com's complete coverage on the MSPIFF, click here.
