The Seagull's Laughter

Released Feb 13, 2004

1h 42m

Comedy

Drama

List

84%

Tomatometer

32 Reviews

69%

Audience Score

500+ Ratings

In 1950s Iceland, a sassy widow named Freyja (Margrét Vilhjálmsdóttir) arrives home from America with a newer, slimmer look and a mental list of grievances. Not one to stay single long, Freyja moves in with her aunt, uncle and shrewd young cousin, Agga (Ugla Egilsdóttir), and quickly begins looking for a new husband. She manages to charm a number of local bachelors, including Björn (Heino Ferch), but when men start turning up dead, Agga suspects Freyja of murder.

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Fandango at Home

Rent The Seagull's Laughter on Fandango at Home, or buy it on Fandango at Home.

Critics Consensus

Though uneven in spots, this delightful comedy will, nevertheless, put a smile on your face.

Read Critics Reviews

Janice Page

Boston Globe

Lively and beautiful filmmaking.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 13, 2004

Full Review

Ruthe Stein

San Francisco Chronicle

Seagull often is on the verge of melodrama, but in the best sense of the genre, where real life is exaggerated but never to the point of being unrecognizable.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 9, 2004

Full Review

Marta Barber

Miami Herald

Some scenes drag, but Seagull's Laughter is still delightful.

Rated: 3/4

Jun 18, 2004

Full Review

Eric D. Snider

EricDSnider.com

The film captures the quaintness of provincial life with humor and drama, deftly mixing in feminism, too, in a way that is subtly funny and even a little disturbing.

Rated: B

Nov 27, 2004

Full Review

Sean P. Means

Salt Lake Tribune

[The movie] boasts an engaging assortment of female characters and an arch sense of humor as biting as the Icelandic winds.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 15, 2004

Full Review

Jeff Vice

Deseret News (Salt Lake City)

The performances are solid, and the film is just different enough to please open-minded audiences.

Rated: 2.5/4

Oct 15, 2004

Full Review

Read all reviews

kevin w

A little fun in Iceland as one of the local girls returns from America with a layer of teflon and razorblades and proceeds to shake up the locals bigtime. The only flaw in this was that the newly Americanized "bad girl" still seemed not soooo very bad to me, but then I'm American, so what do I know. A little fun.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

this is the 1st time as far as i could recall to have watched a film from Iceland, complete w/its gorgeous setting. this film's kinda mixed in its treatment as parts are outright hilarious, nostalgic, serious, tragic, and meditative. if it was made longer than what i saw, it would have turned out to be boring. but then story was well crafted and awesome in its narrative---i think it's the very strength of this movie. i understand now a very good way of presenting the topic of "how to commit murder/s and getting away with it" on film----go see how it was done in this movie.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I really enjoyed this movie. I love the woman in this movie. So many characters. Its full of comedy and culture. I liked it so much. Beautifully made.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

Audience Member

great film with a great ending

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A fantastic dark comedy from Iceland. Beautiful Freyja, recently widowed, returns from America to compete with the local ladies for the attention and affection of the island's most eligible bachelors. She'll stop at nothing to obtain what she wants: arson, battering delinquent little boys, flinging live cats at her mother-in-law, maybe even murder(?).

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I enjoyed this movie, a charming comedy with a dark twist. Most of all, I enjoyed the complexity of women's friendship, solidarity and the intensity of their characters. It portrays Iceland women with a lot of animus and anima. The austere landscape, the atmosphere of a fishing village, and the attention to details along with swing music in the background create a distinctive sense of time and place. I highly recommed it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Ágúst Gudmundsson

Director

Margrét Vilhjálmsdóttir

Freyja

Ugla Egilsdóttir

Agga

Heino Ferch

Björn Theódór

Hilmir Snær Guðnason

Magnús

Kristbjörg Kjeld

Amma

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

82%

59%

The Good Girl

78%

63%

The Mother

81%

58%

Diamond Men

85%

91%

Elling

28%

23%

Trixie

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

In 1950s Iceland, a sassy widow named Freyja (Margrét Vilhjálmsdóttir) arrives home from America with a newer, slimmer look and a mental list of grievances. Not one to stay single long, Freyja moves in with her aunt, uncle and shrewd young cousin, Agga (Ugla Egilsdóttir), and quickly begins looking for a new husband. She manages to charm a number of local bachelors, including Björn (Heino Ferch), but when men start turning up dead, Agga suspects Freyja of murder.

Director: Ágúst Gudmundsson
Producer: Kristín Atladóttir
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: Icelandic
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 13, 2004, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 18, 2010
Runtime: 1h 42m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR

Most Popular at Home Now