GLASGOW FILM FESTIVAL 2020 - Pity the Lovers
GLASGOW FILM FESTIVAL 2020
Two brothers, Óskar (Björn Thors) and Maggi (Jóel Sæmundsson) are placing an order in a café. Óskar orders a black coffee while Maggi asks for oat milk in his coffee. The barista informs him that they’re out of oat milk, asking if he’d be fine with soy. Maggi starts crying because life is unfair, and an exasperated Óskar tells the barista that Maggi will be fine with black coffee too. This opening scene is the perfect bite to introduce the audience to Pity the Lovers (Vesalings elskendur).
When it comes to romance, Óskar and Maggi could not be more different from each other yet both appear to be eternally single. It doesn’t help that their friend group seems to be holding a wedding every other month. Óskar lives alone, an entire house to himself except for the company of his pet pug Otto. Though he is in love with Anna (Sara Dögg Ásgeirsdóttir), Otto’s veterinarian who he has known since childhood, Óskar never tries to pursue romance. Maggi on the other hand tries too hard with romance, believing every encounter with a woman could mean he’s talking to “the one”. He consistently rushes into relationships causing his family to ask, “which one was she again?” after his latest breakup and between apartments, Maggi moves in with Óskar and the brothers’ traits begin to rub off on each other.
Pity the Lovers is Swedish director Maximilian Hult’s second feature and features an Icelandic cast. Being a lightweight comedy, the film is often predictable, but the film maintains its charm with its collection of eclectic characters. Maggi has multiple girlfriends throughout the film, each woman unique from the last. Though his relationship with a much too young artist named Ingibjörg (Hafdís Helga Helgadóttir) does not work out, her young brother and his friend, both goths, both 13, and both named Danni (Elvar Aron Heimisson, Alex Leó Kristinsson) often stay at Óskar’s house to dog sit Otto. Otto himself becomes a key character in the film, becoming the spark in Óskar and Anna’s developing relationship.
The relationship between Óskar and Anna is so tender, as Óskar remains fearful of love despite knowing Anna for years. Outside of veterinary appointments they spend time together as Anna helps Óskar teach Otto some dog tricks. Ásgeirsdóttir plays Anna as a deeply caring person but struggles to act like a single person, sometimes taking her relationship with Óskar to places he’s not yet comfortable. Thors’ Óskar is a quiet and meditative man, but never leaves the chance to throw quips at his brother. Definitely a misanthrope, Thors takes Óskar through Pity the Lovers by ever so carefully peeling back his layers. The standout performance of the film comes from the co-dependent Maggi. Sæmundsson brings the bulk of the comedy, especially following his latest breakup. He is completely unaware of his own flaws, questioning why these women weren’t what he initially thought. Sæmundsson delivers Maggi’s lines with a sense of entitlement and baffled confusion. Sæmundsson and Thors are perfect mirrors to each other’s polar opposite brothers.
Pity the Lovers takes the classic romantic comedy to look into male emotions and how men fall in love. While they fail in different ways, Óskar and Maggi take the audience through love and longing, discovering what it means to be a human. While they are both grown men, Maggi and Óskar learn from one another, changing how they view romance for the better.