DRIVING MUM (2022)
Hilmar Oddsson
Black Comedy 112'
Iceland Estonia Icelandic French with English Subs
Awards Winner Best Actor - Bifest 2023 Winner Grand Prix - PÖFF Tallinn Black Nights 2022

Festivals Filmfest Hamburg 2023, Love & Anarchy Helsinki IFF 2023, Oslo Pix 2023, Norwegian IFF Haugesund 2023, TIFF Romania 2023, Shanghai IFF 2023, Golden Horse Fantastic FF 2023, Cleveland FF 2023, Bifest 2023, Glasgow FF 2023, Göteborg FF '23, WP PÖFF Tallinn Black Nights '22 MP Tiff Selects 2022


A man tries to honour his mother’s dying wish to be buried in her home in a remote Icelandic village … by propping her up in the back seat of his car and driving her there.

When Jon’s mother dies, the single most dominant person in his life passes away, his anchor is gone. Compelled to honour her last wish, he takes on a journey to bring the body across Iceland to her home village for the final rest. As they travel on, Jon’s whole existence obtains a new meaning.

'In this dark comedy, everything is funny. What makes this film special, however, is the author’s special sympathy and understanding and the actors’ love for their characters, which is definitely conveyed to the audience in the cinema, making it the brightest film experience of the year for many.' - Mihkel Möölman PÖFF Team


''Enjoyably dark and dour comedy road movie' from beyond - or before - the grave''
- Screen Daily

'An Icelandic odyssey - with the emphasis on ‘odd’ - in crisply shot monochrome. About life in general but as an evocation of one man’s experience, it’s quite a trip.'
- Eye For Film

'Middle-aged loner drives his mother's corpse to her desired resting place, encountering curious characters and ghosts of the past along his journey - exquisite Icelandic drama with flavours of Bergman.'
- DMovies

About our director
When Hilmar Oddsson reached sixty years of age, he decided to resign from the position of the Icelandic film school rector which he had held for almost a decade. he decided to dedicate himself to filmmaking. A long pause in filmmaking may cause uncertainty in some, but not in Hilmar. Firstly, because he carried the idea for this movie with him for three decades. Secondly, his strong baggage includes a diverse set of experiences from a lifetime in films.