Search The Archive

Search the film archive

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Icelandic director Fridrik Thor Fridriksson blurs the line between sanity and madness, casting doubt on how we come to decide which is which. Paul is living a well-adjusted life with his parents in Reykjavik. He is interested in art and music and is dating the girl of his dreams. As his new girlfriend begins to act distant and his behaviour becomes increasingly erratic, there are hints that something may be terribly wrong When he begins to get violent, his parents are faced with the decision to commit him.

Interned in a local psychiatric institution, Paul sets about getting to know his fellow inmates—Oli who thinks that he wrote all The Beatles' songs and sent them to the Fab Four telepathically; Viktor, who thinks that he may be Hitler.

Fridriksson portrays the day-to-day actuality of living with schizophrenia, avoiding defining his characters simply by their illness, illuminating the plight of those with an affliction which seems beyond their control. Icelandic Film and Television Awards for Best Film. Best Director and Best Actor.