Hjartasteinn (2016)

In the remote fishing village of Borgarfjörður eystri, Iceland, it is summer vacation, and four boys, all around 13 years old, are enjoying the first warm rays of sunshine on a pier. Þór is an outsider and has to stand up to his taller friends, who mock him for showing no visible signs of puberty. At the local youth center, too, the bullies target him and torment him verbally and physically. At home, meanwhile, it is Þór’s older sisters who constantly tease him. Once, they even leave their brother standing naked outside the front door in front of his supposed lover, Kristján. But he and Kristján are only best friends; they trust each other completely and find in their friendship the warmth missing from their own families. At home, Kristján has to cope with his perpetually drunk father. They most enjoy hanging out at the junkyard or passing the time catching fish. One day, Þór falls in love with Beta, a girl from the village. As a good friend, Kristján helps his buddy get closer to her, since Þór doesn’t know how to go about it. However, Kristján gradually has to admit to himself that he feels more than friendship for Þór, as his affection for his best friend grows ever stronger. Nothing stays secret in the village, and so his homosexuality becomes known too. But in Borgarfjörður eystri it is still a taboo subject, and Þór initially distances himself from Kristján as well.