Above you can view the trailer for Metalhead, a new film from Icelandic film director Ragnar Bragason (Children, Parents) about what happens when a tragic event and adults’ inability to talk honestly about it causes an adolescent explosion into heavy metal.
The film follows Hera, who witnesses the accidental death of a beloved brother. He was a metalhead, and in the process of mourning, Hera re-makes herself in his image — wearing his clothes, and listening to and playing music at earshredding volumes — as a method of channeling her grief, rage and doubt.
As the movie goes on, Hera explores greater extremity as her previous acts of rebellion fail to discharge whatever dark psychic spectre haunts her. Metalhead views her without judgment and with compassion, probing deeper into the paradox of grief and the frustration of an inability to express it.
Featuring an all-star cast, Metalhead will be shown at the 2013 TIFF film festival.
Tags: Heavy Metal, metalhead, movie
Its okay because girls can be metalheads too. It would have been better if he was a gay little brother instead but there are already visible gay men in metal. Pretty sure we are going to see an explosion of one woman projects (and not a cake or a baby) after this films release.
Scratch that, after the TRAILERs release (it seems to be most of the movie).
It doesn’t look like a bad film, necessarily. However, it bothers me that when metalheads seek to communicate the essence of their subculture to outsiders, they almost reflexively focus on feelings of grievance/alienation. While feelings of frustration and anger are undoubtedly ‘part’ of the story, they’re not the whole thing.
For me, metal was always a celebration/affirmation of life. It really had nothing to do with rebellion or rejection. I was definitely an outsider, growing up, but not an unhappy one – I was on good terms with my family and friends. I was always interested in the world around me, not butthurt about it. Metal was about mystery, death, catharsis, adventure and wonder – not how much I hated highschool.
When are we going to start seeing films and reading books about this other side of our subculture? When will people learn that victimhood isn’t the sole qualifier for ‘social relevance’?
I agree.
Metalheads need to stop being advertised as butthurt punks. Usually the best metal is not made by those in that mindset.
I do agree… i hate this stupid propaganda about metal… i don’t know yet if the movie is good or bad neither if the director is also good or bad… in fact, i just don’t care. Documentaries for metalheads are good but mainstream movies … for what ??? you get into metal if you choose your path right, not because of a movie you watched in the cinema. This kind of answers were foreseeable.
cheers.
I really like the fact of the metalhead be a girl, but as Fallot said, will happen a explosion of female movies, but in a ridiculous level, like a extreme feminist movement.
Just a very sensitive movie, deeply human, with a teenager trying to find her way to live with her family in a islander farmer community after the death of his brother. A real great film.
Instead of posting your comlents please just watch the movie :-)