Travel across Europe with the best Icelandic movies to watch right now.
With gorgeous blue and white glaciers, steaming geysers, dancing Northern Lights, and black sand beaches, it’s no surprise that so many great movies are filmed in Iceland. From comedy, horror, and romance to documentaries, thrillers, and book adaptations, these are just a few movies set in, about, and from Iceland that we recommend.
Keep the wanderlust going with these books set in Iceland across genres.
Rams (2015) | Hrútar
In a remote Icelandic valley, estranged brothers Kiddi and Gummi live side by side on a sheep farm but haven’t spoken in forty years. When a deadly disease threatens their flocks, the government declares a necessary cull to prevent the spread. The pair is forced to work together to survive.
This bittersweet tragicomedy is Icelandic through and through, complete with sweeping rural landscapes, wide open spaces, and an excellent selection of woollen clothing.
Rock in Reykjavik (1982) | Rokk í Reykjavík
Iceland has many great attributes, but one of them is surprisingly music. Along with a rich folk tradition dating back centuries, Iceland’s popular music scene has a vibe that is unlike almost any other country’s.
Wintertime documentary (1981-82), Rock in Reykjavik, captures Iceland’s punk and alternative movements that will alter the course of Iceland’s music scene. Featuring bands like Þeyr and Tappi Tîkarrass – fronted by a pre-fame Björk – this Icelandic movie offers a unique slice-of-life feel.
Children of Nature (1991) | Börn náttúrunnar
After being pushed into a Reykjavik home for the elderly, farmer Þorgeir reunites with a childhood girlfriend and decides to escape back into the countryside.
Children of Nature is an enjoyable and unconventional Icelandic road trip movie with a relaxed pace and plenty of opportunity to enjoy the gorgeous local scenery.
I Remember You (2017) | Ég man þig
I Remember You is part horror, part crime procedural. This chilling film follows two intersecting stories: a grieving doctor investigating the suspicious death of an elderly woman, and a troubled couple, Katrin and Garðar, with their close friend, who are renovating a house in an abandoned village. While on the island, the three start to experience unexplained, paranormal activity.
I Remember You is one of the most chilling and atmospheric Icelandic movies on this list and is perfect for those who love a slow-paced, unsettling hotel horror movie.
Screaming Masterpiece (2005) | Gargandi snilld
Just like Rock in Reykjavik, which came 23 years earlier, Screaming Masterpiece is another documentary that shines a light on the Icelandic music scene. However, this is very much its own beast, and the soundtrack is excellent.
Screaming Masterpiece explores how a tiny island nation produces such a robust musical legacy. Featuring Múm, Björk, Mugison, Bang Gang, and Sigur Rós, plus footage of Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson, Iceland’s chief pagan leader, it’s insightful, celebratory, and essential viewing for music lovers
Of Horses and Men (2013) | Hross í oss
In a small Icelandic horse community, everyone is spying on each other and each other’s horses. Unfortunately, that equals a mess…
Kolbeinn loves Solveig, and Solveig loves Kolbeinn. However, neither will make a move because Kolbeinn loves Brúnn, his prized stallion, and Solveig loves Grána, her prized mare.
Meanwhile, Vernhardur’s horse Jarpur loves his master Vernhardur, but Vernhardur loves vodka, not Jarpur. Gengis likes Jarpur but doesn’t have vodka, so no love there. And, Johanna loves her mare Raudka, but Raudka only loves freedom.
As you can tell, this is an ensemble comedy/drama of errors.
Woman at War (2018) | Kona fer í stríð
Fifty-year-old Halla leads a double life and goes by the alias “The Woman of the Mountain.” She works tirelessly as an environmental activist to keep her beautiful Icelandic highlands pristine and pollution-free.
As she wages war against industrial pollution in Iceland’s highlands, she’s suddenly approved to adopt a child from Ukraine. Now this fiercely independent activist must find a way to balance her activism with impending parenthood.
Part comedy, thriller, and political commentary, this film will make you both laugh and cry.
Jar City (2006) | Mýrin
World-weary detective Erlendur investigates a seemingly routine murder, which leads back to decades-old crimes, corrupt police officers, and buried secrets.
Based on the novel Mýrin/Jar City by author Arnaldur Indriðason, Jar City is a faithful book-to-movie adaptation, although you don’t have to be familiar with the novel to enjoy the movie. Gritty, methodical, and deeply atmospheric, this is classic Nordic noir, perfect for fans who also enjoy Scandinavian crime dramas.
Arctic (2018)
After surviving a plane crash in the Arctic Circle, Overgård settles into a fragile survival routine. But after an errant polar bear raids his fish supply, things turn from bad to worse when a rescue helicopter – responding to his distress beacon – crashes while trying to reach him. Forced to choose between waiting and venturing into the unknown, he battles nature itself.
Many Icelandic movies have a small cast list, but Arctic is very much a one-man show for lead actor Mads Mikkelsen, who gives a powerful performance.
101 Reykjavik (2000)
Based on one of the most popular Icelandic novels, 101 Reykjavik is a dark comedy about a man who seriously needs to get his life together. Hlynur is 30, unemployed, emotionally adrift, and still living with his mother. His apathetic days are disrupted when his mom’s friend, Lola, comes to visit…
101 Reykjavik is set and filmed entirely in Reykjavik, and is one of the best Icelandic movies for those feeling a little lost in life.
Metalhead (2013) | Málmhaus
Hera is a happy 12-year-old girl growing up on a rural Icelandic farm with her parents and older brother, Baldur. But when Baldur dies in a tragic accident, everything changes.
Hera retreats into grief, metal music, and isolation, donning her brother’s black clothes. Years later, she’s still struggling in a small, judgmental village that bullies and ostracizes her.
Metalhead is a heart-wrenching look at the effects of grief on a family, and is one of the most moving Icelandic movies, whether you love metal or not.
No Such Thing (2001)
After her fiancé vanishes while researching a monster in Iceland, Journalist Beatrice travels there to find him. Instead, she befriends the monster himself.
A strange, melancholic, U.S.-Icelandic, Beowulf-inspired fantasy, this is one of the most unusual and oddly touching films set in Iceland.