September 25, 2014 - 13:52 AMT
“Life in a Fishbowl” tapped as Island’s foreign Oscar entry

“Iceland” has chosen “Life in a Fishbowl” to campaign for a foreign-language Oscar nomination, Variety reported.

Directed by Baldvin Zophoniasson, who made his debut with “Jitters,” “Fishbowl” had its international premiere at the Toronto, where it received warm reviews. The movie was also a commercial and critical hit in Iceland.

“This naturalistic portrait of fraught lifestyles in Reykjavik on the eve of the country’s 2008 economic meltdown touched a nerve on home turf, outdrawing Hollywood blockbusters to become one of the island’s biggest-ever domestic hits,” Variety’s Alissa Simon wrote in her Toronto review.

Set in pre-crisis Iceland, “Fishbowl” is a multiple-narrative drama weaving together the stories of three people leading a double life: a struggling single mother who turns to prostitution to make ends meet, a former footballer making it in the international banking world, and a troubled writer who has become alcoholic.

It’s produced by Icelandic Film Co., in co-production with Axman Prod., Harmonica Films and Solar Films.