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Against the Current

Country: Iceland, Language: Icelandic, 87 mins

  • Director: Oskar Pall Sveinsson
  • Writer: Margrét Örnólfsdóttir
  • Producer: Petur Einarsson, Kristín Ólafsdóttir

CGiii Comment

Talk about taking the long way round!

But, through no choice of her own, Veiga has never been on the easy path. That is...until now. Comfortable in her skin and achieving the near impossible...and all it takes is guts, grit and determination. She has them all...in abundance.

She's trans...so what! Her athleticism is unquestionable, enviable even. Her stamina...mind-blowing. This is what you can achieve when you completely dedicate your mind, heart and soul to your own inalienable truth, your being and, especially, your well-being.

To live truthfully, you have to speak truth...it's a language that seems to be rapidly disappearing in these days of hyper hyperbole and deleterious censorship! Veiga doesn't skip stones, she tells it as it was, as it is...she does do against the majestic backdrop of Iceland's coastal scenery.

The cinematography is fantastic. The drone shots simply serve to show the loneliness of this long distance rower...battling to get where she wants to be, where she deserves to be.

Yes...hyperbolic writers will use the words inspiring and uplifting...and, not being prone to using that amount of exaggeration...however, these two words are the best fit...and, just for good measure, I'll throw in one more...motivational!

A fantastic voyage.


Trailer...

The(ir) Blurb...

Veiga is the first person to paddle 2,000 kilometres around Iceland 'Against the Current'. On the edges of the Arctic Circle, it is comparable with climbing the mountain K2. In an unbelievable story of perseverance and courage, she attempts to become the first person to ever complete this journey. Her personal journey is no less remarkable, born a boy in a remote fishing village in the Westfjords of Iceland, she went to hell and back. She was a man with a wife, she had two children. The internal struggle twice led her to try to take her own life. These two stories are intertwined into one of adversity, conflicts and a hard-won resolution against the stunningly rugged background of Iceland's coastline. The story is of her transformation from a man to a woman, on a gruelling voyage which both physically and metaphorically illustrates her lifelong struggle, finally coming home in triumph as her true self. What kind of sacrifices are you ready to make to find happiness and what kind of journey are you ready to embark on to find your way home.

Cast & Characters

Veiga Grétarsdóttir