Overview
A young girl's journey through grief leads her into the dark world of music.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- bleak
- intimate
- reflective viewing
- late night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a powerful, emotionally committed Icelandic drama about grief, alienation, and the redemptive potential of music.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Hera embraces her deceased brother's black metal lifestyle while struggling to process his death.
Hera's family lives in remote Iceland, where limited community life intensifies her alienation.
Hera blames God for the accident and rejects reconciliation attempts from the local priest.
Hera's bleak depression and confrontational behavior are framed within an occasionally wry, human-scale drama.
Films like Metalhead, and why
The Virgin Suicides
shared themes of grief, alienation, depression, and music as a route toward identity
Fish Tank
shared coming-of-age drama, family trauma, austere atmosphere, and emotionally intense adolescent alienation
Control
shared music-centered identity formation, bleak rural setting, and cathartic struggle with loss
Lars and the Real Girl
shared melancholic character study, outsider protagonists, and transformation through subcultural belonging
Movie Details
- Director
- Ragnar Bragason
- Release Date
- 2013-10-11
- Runtime
- 97 min
- Rating
- 7.4 / 10 (241)
Cast
- Þorbjörg Helga Þorgilsdóttir
- Ingvar E. Sigurðsson
- Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir
- Sveinn Ólafur Gunnarsson
- Hannes Óli Ágústsson
- Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson
- Sigrún Edda Björnsdóttir
- Magnús Ólafsson
- Óskar Logi Ágústsson
- Diljá Valsdóttir
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- History Vault
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Metalhead about?
- A grieving Icelandic teenager turns to black metal as both armor against unbearable loss and a possible path back to life.
- What is Metalhead like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Metalhead as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Metalhead violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Metalhead as mild.
- What did critics think of Metalhead?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a powerful, emotionally committed Icelandic drama about grief, alienation, and the redemptive potential of music.
- Which films are like Metalhead?
- Films with a similar feel include The Virgin Suicides, Fish Tank, Control, and Lars and the Real Girl.
- How long is Metalhead?
- Metalhead runs 97 minutes.
- Where can I watch Metalhead?
- In United States, Metalhead streams on History Vault.
