AGAINST THE CURRENT (Óskar Páll Sveinsson, 2020)
Quad Cinemas
34 West 13th St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
Through July 1
212-255-2243
quadcinema.com
After watching Óskar Páll Sveinsson’s Against the Current, you may not want to kayak around the entire island of Iceland, but you’ll probably want to start planning a trip to this extraordinary Scandinavian nation. In May 2019, Veiga Grétarsdóttir set off from her picturesque hometown of Ísafjörð on a three-plus-month, 1,250-mile journey circumnavigating the entire country in a sixteen-foot solo kayak, paddling counterclockwise, against the current, something that had never been done before. Following her along the coastline, in a fishing boat, and using drones, director and cinematographer Oskar Pall Sveinsson documented the hazardous expedition in vivid detail in the new documentary Against the Current, a film that features a barrage of spectacular shots not only of the sea and the topography of Iceland but of humanity’s tiny place in the world, set to a score by Högni Egilsson.
Along the way, Sveinsson also tells the story of Grétarsdóttir’s recent transition to becoming a woman; born male, she participated in rugged sports when she was younger but also hid what she considered a shameful secret: a compulsion to wear women’s clothing. As a man, she married a woman and had a daughter, but she ultimately decided to go through the surgery to change her gender and then prove to herself and others her physical and emotional strength by kayaking around Iceland. Sveinsson cuts between the treacherous trip and photographs and videos from Grétarsdóttir’s childhood and marriage, with her parents, friends, daughter, and doctors sharing stories about her; every single one accepts her transition, although it was perhaps most difficult for her ex-wife. “I often say that switching your gender like that is the biggest and most complex change you can make in your life,” psychiatrist Óttar Guðmundsson, who was part of Grétarsdóttir’s transgender team, explains. “You can’t change your life more drastically than that.”
Against the Current documents Veiga Grétarsdóttir’s remarkable story
Grétarsdóttir was initially joined by three kayakers, including Örlygur Sigurjónsson, who stuck around the longest, but ultimately she was left on her own, as expected. She would paddle for as many as thirteen hours a day, then pull over onto the coast, eat, and sleep in a tent, occasionally coming into contact with local people. One such supporter was sheep farmer Elisabet Petursdottir, who says, “I feel, regarding all the prejudice, that you’re not supposed to discuss things. All talk is shut down. It would be better to talk about things and solve the problems instead of creating them. In my opinion, everybody should have an open mind. Thank God we are all not made from the same mold. People must be allowed to be as they are.”
Grétarsdóttir holds nothing back, delving deep into aspects of her life that involved depression and even suicide attempts. She hopes that completing the circumnavigation will help her as well as others dealing with issues of personal identity. “I’ve dreamed of it for a long time, but having gone through everything, the transitioning, I decided to live my life, make my dreams come true,” she says. And every step of the way, there are visuals that will take your breath away. The film continues at the Quad through July 1; you can watch a Zoom interview with Grétarsdóttir and Sveinsson (Under the Surface, Ransacked) hosted by the Gene Siskel Film Center here.