‘Mihkel’ is a film about a cruel crime story
In 2004, a body was found heavy in an abandoned harbor near the town of Neskaupstaður in East Iceland. The study revealed 61 carefully packed capsules in the body of the corpse – amphetamine tightly with coarse. The body had been wrapped in a blanket and thrown into the obscure bottom of the fjord. No one was reported missing in the local community. It was a mystery.
Some kind of ghost
Of course, the victim had a name. The body turned out to be Vaidas Jucevicius – a Lithuanian citizen. This cruel scenario – and the complexity of what led to Vaida’s death and secrecy – is played in Ari Alexander Ergis Magnússon’s new film, ‘Mihkel’ (‘Under the Comet’ in Icelandic, or ‘Under the Comet’).
“I do not think there is any truth in life, but it is true that as an artist you are hungry for creativity.”
“The Icelandic nation is like a family,” says Ari. “It was a corpse but no one from the community was missing. This meant that the body belonged to an outsider. It was a sigh that this was a stranger. “
The body was found, in the turn of fate, by a diver in an unused harbor. “This random thing annoys me,” the director continues. “The man who confessed to the crime obviously felt bad about it. They were unlucky that a diver entered Neskaupstaðarhöfn the next day. It’s just amazing – no one was even using this port anymore. It was some kind of ghost. It was never meant to happen. None of this was. ”
Misunderstood film
The director is known for his documentaries and describes “Mihkel” as a “misunderstood” film among his works. “I think there is no truth in life, but it’s true that as an artist you are hungry for creativity,” he says. “People know me for my documentaries, as a person who makes films about artists. That is perhaps the reason why Icelanders think that “Mihkel” should be considered a documentary. But this is a film that explores the events that took place in 2004 through a historical and political dimension and intertwine with the West’s ties with Estonia and Russia.
The system went wrong
As it turns out, Vaida’s death was the result of a smuggling operation and a truly tragic story. Shortly after touching Iceland, Vaidas started complaining of abdominal pain and could not stand the bag with capsules he had swallowed. As the days passed, Vaidas and two of his Icelandic comrades became involved in crime over what they should do and decided that they could not take him to the hospital, so as not to be involved in their smuggling attempt.
“What is murder between two friends?
Unfortunately, Vaidas’ condition worsened and he eventually died. His comrades, in an attempt to cover their tracks, chose to throw his body in Neskaupsstaðshöfn. But when the body was found, it discovered the end of the whole operation.
Between friends
“What is murder between two friends? Ari thinks aloud.
Since 2011, Iceland has held the title of being the safest nation in the world, according to the Global Peace Index. Nevertheless, this “murder between friends” led to a 30-month sentence, but only half of it was convicted. As the ripples of this miserable case disappear over time, Ari’s film is a moving reminder that these events are a precautionary story that is perhaps best kept alive in the public consciousness.