Horses of Healing and Hope in Heartstone

Abstract

This article analyses the forms and functions of horses in director Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson’s 2016 Icelandic drama film Heartstone, which explores the summertime coming–of–age experiences of two male teenagers and best friends, Christian and Thor, as they gradually come to terms with both their burgeoning sexuality and true depths of their feelings for one another. Because daily life in their small, isolated fishing village lacks any semblance of privacy or secrecy, Christian — as he continues to acknowledge that he is gay and falling in love with Thor — increasingly seeks out moments of healing and hope, both individually and with his best friend, among the horses at an adult friend’s farm, far from the prying eyes of others. The limits of the horses’ ability to provide solace to Christian, however, are deleteriously tested after it becomes evident that other young people in town have become aware of his sexual orientation. In contrast to other films that feature horses as primary or supporting characters, this article instead focuses on the symbolic and storytelling significance of noteworthy representations of horses in their natural environments, as they demonstrate their natural behaviours. In doing so, it illustrates how these animals provide a greatly expanded understanding of the range of emotions this central teen character is experiencing — as well as the various kinds of comfort they can offer humans — as the plot moves forward. Christian finds himself contemplating suicide as a potential alternative means of escape from his repressive daily circumstances.