In January and February, the new Uitkijk series is dedicated to Invisible Forces. For this program, we have selected films in which characters are confronted with elusive, all-encompassing forces that shape their lives in different ways. The films move between horror, magical realism, and existential nightmares, showing how people struggle, falter, and sometimes break under the weight of the unknown.
Margit, played by a young Björk, flees with her sister Katla (Bryndís Petra Bragadóttir) after their mother is burned at the stake for witchcraft. In this folk tale inspired by a Grimm fairy tale, we follow the sisters on their journey through medieval Iceland. Seeking safe shelter away from misogynistic witch hunts, they come across widower Jóhann and his headstrong son Jónas. As Katla attempts to enchant the lonely Jóhann, tensions rise and the sisters themselves are accused of witchcraft. The younger Margit truly possesses the supernatural gift of clairvoyance, leading the group on a spiritual, lyrical, and wondrous journey… In THE JUNIPER TREE (1990), old and modern symbolism is delicately, almost calligraphically, layered over the black-and-white landscape.