A chillingly atmospheric psychological drama, Natatorium is the feature debut of Icelandic director Helen Stefánsdóttir and is screening in the Bright Future Category of the International Film Festival Rotterdam.
Eighteen-year-old Lilja (Ilmur María Arnarsdóttir) has come to spend a few days with her estranged grandparents (Elin Petersdottir and Valur Freyr Einarsson). Grandma appears to be kindly enough, with perhaps a few odd religious practices, and Grandpa is happy creating in the kitchen while his wife nurses their seriously ill son Kalli (Jónas Alfreð Birkisson). For some reason, however, Lilja’s father Maggi (Arnar Dan Kristjánsson) is less than pleased with his daughter’s new arrangements. He dispatches his sister Vala (Stefanía Berdsen) to check in on things and keep Lilja safe until he gets there.
We know that most families have their secrets and in the case of Natatorium, the roots of this family’s issues go unnoticed by those who didn’t grow up in the house – those being Lilja, and her father’s pregnant girlfriend Irena (Kristín Pétursdóttir). Although these ‘innocents’ notice that the family members don’t always get on, none of them can imagine the reason behind it.
The same goes for the audience. We are drip-fed hints of what might be the cause, hear one side of a telephone conversation, or simply feel the growing unease surrounding the story, and one of the strengths of the storytelling is that nothing is ever definitely explained. Sympathies and frustrations move from character to character as tiny details become clearer, and it’s down to the individual viewer to reach their own conclusion.
Set almost exclusively within the confines of the grandparents’ house, the building feels claustrophobic and there is rarely a window to be seen – yet it doesn’t feel at all stagey, thanks to the great work of Director of Cinematography Kerttu Hakkarainen. A sparse score from Danish composer Jacob Groth complements and subtly elevates the tension.
With strong performances from Elin Petersdottir and Stefanía Berdsen as mother and daughter, Natatorium is a film which demands the viewer’s attention to make sure they are taking everything in, and which is resolved in an appropriately tragic fashion. It’s clear why the film has been selected for this section of Rotterdam’s festival, and it bodes well for the future work of Helen Stefánsdóttir.