Devil’s Island (1996) Plot Summary Explained

Release, runtime and language

1996 · 104 mins · Icelandic

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Directed by

Fridrik Thor Fridriksson

Starring

Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir, Baltasar Kormákur, Ingvar E. Sigurðsson, Sigurveig Jónsdóttir, Sveinn Þórir Geirsson, Gísli Halldórsson

Set in 1950s Reykjavik’s post‑war slum of Camp Thule, the film follows an Icelandic family living in makeshift homes built from abandoned US barracks. Hard‑working husbands and their wives struggle to get by, while their children dream of dollars, rock ’n’ roll and the American way. Frequent drinking marks both celebration and escape, and the story paints a vivid portrait of everyday hopes and disappointments, showing which ambitions endure.