Life in a Fishbowl is an Icelandic foreign language film following the story of three different people as their lives intertwine in the city of Reykjavik.
The film highlights three main characters 1) a struggling author 2) a young single mother, and 3) a former hot-shot athlete turned investment banker.
Each of the characters have drastically different stories. But each provide an insight into how the 2008 financial crisis affected the people and economy of Iceland.
Synopsis
Each of the three main characters of Life in a Fishbowl live very different lives. Each are in different points in their lives and deal with their own personal struggles.
If anything, this film acts as a realistic portrayal of different areas of work in Iceland while also telling a story of secrets.
The film does a good job of outlining similar troubles people face even though they may work in completely different industries.
The school teacher is no different from the writer as he is to the banker. Each may earn different figures but they all have to make ends meet.
This last point is very important as we see the main characters make decisions which have large impacts on each others lives, leading to all three of the character's stories intertwining.
Important Themes
In 2008, the global financial crisis hit Iceland as hard as any European country.
In the early 2000's, Iceland was a country which was dependent on their fishing and smelting industries. Within five to eight years the country's banks grew by tenfold in size by promising higher interest rates for international investors. Which led to the Icelanders buying up all the oil, real estate and international companies they could get their hands on.
Ultimately all leading up to the failure of their finances and leaving many in financial turmoil and jobless.
Conclusion
Usually the biggest issue surrounding films with intertwining tales are loose ends, paired with a feeling of an incomplete storyline. But this is not the case with Life in a Fishbowl.
The real success of the film is that each of the main characters had depth and each were given ample opportunities to tell their stories.
Most films of this nature tend to either focus on character development or either plot development. But Life in a Fishbowl was able to do both within 130 minutes.
Altogether Life in a Fishbowl was a very interesting watch. I myself went into the film thinking it would be a bit on the timid side. But I was pleasantly surprised with the level of passion, grit and thought that was put into the film.
Sometimes people will go to tremendous extents to hide their secrets but we each are responsible for either our success or failure.
Life in a Fishbowl certainly is an intriguing watch which explores the interesting relationship between privacy and money.
Be sure to add it to your watch list, people.
