L' Iceberg

2005 Belgium romantic comedy

Rating: 15/20 (Jen: 13/20)

Plot: A woman suffers through a night in a restaurant freezer only to realize that her husband and two children didn't even realize she was missing. She becomes upset and begins an obsession with the cold and with burly sailors. She flees her dull life for one with a little more excitement and adventure. And ice.

Really enjoyed this cutesy and charming little romantic comedy. Extremely humorous--dry and charcoal gray if not black--and quirky with well-structured shots and fine performances.

A nod to J. Tati's films, especially with the use of intelligent and poetic slapsticky humor (see also Chaplin and Buster) and the lack of dialogue. In fact, the director(s) almost seemed to be using dialogue as a game--inserting one-sided phone conversations in which the character would be asking the same, obviously unanswered questions; arguments mumbled into pillows that neither the audience or character can understand; and numerous attempts to converse with a deaf man. The camera didn't flinch throughout the movie, and the situations were set up perfectly within the confines of the shots. Much to laugh at--the husband's spontaneous reactions, a surprise driver, a weird love scene (I think), old people, possibly the greatest dancing scene in the history of film, the A.M. iceberg sheets, another old person, a scuffle. I probably laughed outloud more than I actually should have, but I am not ashamed.

Here are Jen and I laughing admiring L' Iceberg: