Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- witty
- melancholic
- warm
- quiet evening
- world cinema night
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The families live together in former US Army barracks in Reykjavik after World War II.
The film combines drama and comedy while focusing on impoverished families and social outcasts.
Its central location is housing left behind by the US Army and repurposed by Reykjavik families.
The plot follows families living collectively rather than a single isolated protagonist.
Films like Devil's Island, and why
The Tin Drum
family-centered social drama combining poverty, humor, and postwar displacement
My Life as a Dog
warm but unsentimental depiction of eccentric families navigating hardship and social marginalization
The Commitments
working-class ensemble drama balancing comic observation with generational conflict
Movie Details
- Director
- Fridrik Thor Fridriksson
- Release Date
- 1996-10-03
- Runtime
- 104 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (12)
Cast
- Baltasar Kormákur
- Sigurveig Jónsdóttir
- Gísli Halldórsson
- Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir
- Sveinn Geirsson
- Saga Jónsdóttir
- Ingvar E. Sigurðsson
- Geo von Krogh
- Guðrún Gísladóttir
- Sigurður Sigurjónsson
Common questions
- What is Devil's Island about?
- A darkly comic Icelandic family drama about poverty, belonging, and survival in postwar Reykjavik barracks.
- What is Devil's Island like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Devil's Island as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Devil's Island violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Devil's Island.
- Which films are like Devil's Island?
- Films with a similar feel include The Tin Drum, My Life as a Dog, and The Commitments.
- How long is Devil's Island?
- Devil's Island runs 104 minutes.
