Oscars 2021: Iceland’s Gísli Darri Halldórsson on celebrating monotony through his nominated animated short Yes People-Entertainment News , Firstpost
The director opens up on his animated short film, where the only word the characters speak is ‘já,’ which is the Icelandic word for ‘yes.’
A building full of people, locked indoors, going on about their day, stuck in a loop of routine – sounds familiar? Scenes from the Oscar-nominated animated short, Yes People, have certainly hit close to home in a pandemic world.
However, director Gísli Darri Halldórsson conceptualised and created the film long before lockdowns became a part of our lives. This eight-minute short is about a day in the life of the residents of an apartment building in Gísli’s native Iceland. The only word they say in the film is “já”, which means ‘yes’ in Icelandic. It is said in various situations that range from mundane to interesting – sometimes to fill an awkward silence, or to express impatience, a sigh to heighten despair, or even in the throes of passion. Depending on the situation and intonation, the meaning conveyed completely changes from one “já” to another.
The first seed of the idea was planted in 2012, during a casual conversation Gísli was having with his Irish friends about the word “já” and its multi-tonal-meanings. “It sparked an interest in me — the idea of a semi-silent film. But it was not a film idea at that stage,” the director tells us in an email interview from Los Angeles, where he will be attending the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday. “I didn’t start writing the script until I saw the potential to merge it with my then-obsessive thoughts about routines and habits. So it became a story about people being stuck in a loop with only one word to say.”
The nameless characters in the film are combinations of people Gísli has known and observed in real life. With just eight minutes to spare, he manages to create a distinct world for each of them, punctuated with idiosyncrasies, enough to make them memorable. “I’ve always been a people watcher, and I love putting real-life attributes into my character creations; all those big and small details.
And for this film in particular, it was exciting to capture the wordless energy between people.”
The film took shape at a time when Gísli himself was grappling with the concept of routine in his own life. “I have always felt that the goal of routine should be to help you spiral outwards – in growth – and to avoid running in circles. And of course, there is a lot of power in good routine. In Iceland, we say ‘dropinn holar steininn’ – which roughly translates to, ‘the drop makes a hole in the rock.’ These thoughts were running in my head. But I also made this film partly because I was worrying that I was running in circles, wherein my last week was a blur because it was the same as the rest of the year,” says the 42-year-old.
Sitting in 2021, he might as well have spoken for the world’s sentiments. While Gísli missed watching the film with the audience at festivals last year, he does feel that the timing of the pandemic worked in his favour. “It has definitely made people connect with the film more.” While he was writing the script, he himself was under a self-imposed lockdown state, working long hours from home, as a freelance animator. “That lifestyle was making me question my own routine, and I have tried to bring some of those ideas into the film,” he adds. He wanted to create a mosaic of daily life situations, and so an apartment building seemed like a “practical choice” for a canvas to tell the story. While the rut of a routine is a universally relatable emotion, what lends Yes People an Icelandic soul, says Gísli, are the silences.
“After having lived in Iceland and England, I noticed that Icelanders give each other more space — people are generally more comfortable being together in silence.”
The film however is not set in a modern world, as is made evident by landline phones, clunky computers, and joystick video games. “I knew I didn’t want to bring mobile phones into the mix, because I think the meaningless of everyday has a bit more gravitas when you can’t escape boredom like how we do now,” he says.
But even as the film is caught in a loop of repetition against a bleak Icelandic winter landscape, it never comes across as morose. And that is because of the lively, slightly comedic characters we see, no matter what mood they are in. “I wanted to bring in an element of Nordic hope, which stands for the attitude you must have to survive dark winters. The idea is to embrace the darkness because you have no control – it’s a grounded, positive energy that you tune into. It’s a beautiful feeling but it is elusive sometimes,” Gísli says. That mood is further enhanced in the film by a haunting wordless soundtrack, a recurring song titled ‘Sveitin Mlli Sanda’ sung by Elly Vilhjálms. “It seemed like a perfect fit, as the singer gives incredible emotional range to one syllable “ah”. As a word on paper, “ah” is completely meaningless yet the song has so much to say. But you can’t always put your finger on what it is,” he says.
This is Gísli’s first time in LA, and despite a maddening schedule, he is soaking it all in. The Oscar nomination has of course brought about sweet progresses. “It’s all very exciting. There is more spotlight on the film which is fantastic. It is also nice to have doors open to further ideas and projects. And it’s been lovely to get to know my fellow nominees.” Ask him to pick a favourite in the competition, and the animator does not shy away. “That has to be Genius Loci (France). I can watch it over and over, and it seems to get better and better.”
This year Iceland has been basking under the Oscar floodlights, with Eurovision showstopper Husavic also nominated for best original song. “Icelandic entertainment is surely going strong. A lot of films are being made, and that is a great thing for us. The other day, when someone asked me to recommend one, I surprised myself when I ended up suggesting nine films!” Gísli says.
For someone who made the film over eight years, juggling several jobs, while holding on to his vision – walking the Oscars red carpet is certainly surreal. “Finishing a film is so hard, especially for animators, that it almost seems like a miracle when it’s over. When I made the film, all I wanted for the audience was to see the meaning hidden in meaninglessness. Now I’m getting more and more comments on the film being a rediscovery on every watch. That’s very heartening to hear.”
Oscars 2021 will air in India on 26 April.
