Tourette’s syndrome is a serious illness, where you lose control over your own body. All of the sudden you hit something, you speak inappropriately. Everyday life is a lonesome struggle for people suffering from Tourette’s.

Icelandic-born Helena Stéfansdóttir treats the topic with empathy, but also with a liberating sense of humour in the short film Anna, in which the title character eagerly tries to prepare for a date. That is easier said than done when you’re suffering from Tourette’s syndrome.

Stéfansdóttir has directed five short films and is currently working on a documentary about Icelandic farmers.

She has studied theatre, art and dancing, for which reason dancing and movement in general are important elements in her films.

Anna is part of the DVD Funny Films of the North, which Rushprint have produced in collaboration with three other Nordic film magazines.

– Helena Stéfansdóttir, how did you come up with the idea for the film, and under what circumstances did it come into being?

– I am inspired by neurologist Oliver Sacks and his book on Tourette’s. At one point he mentions this woman who imitates other people’s movements and I immediately visualized a choreography of beautiful, everyday movements. I started to do research on Tourette’s, and I discovered that people with severe syndromes tend to be lonely and isolated. From there on, the little story of Anna was born, a story with the duality of humour and sadness

– What was the greatest challenge about making this film, artistically as well as practically?

– People don’t exactly go chasing after short films to invest in, so practically, the challenge was purely financial. A small budget equals a small crew. But a small crew isn’t necessarily all bad and in this case it turned out to be a strength.

– Artistically, I constantly doubt myself and my work. I strive to find the perfect balance between too much and not enough, between too fast and too slow, etc. The feeling when I find the balance is amazing. It’s what keeps me going really.

SOME THINGS ARE JUST FUNNY
– Why do you rely on physical performance instead of dialogue in Anna?

– The syndrome that Anna has is physical and therefore the script developed into a series of movements and images. I’m also not very good at writing dialogue – yet. I have a background in dance and physical theatre, so movement is my strength. That is probably why all my work is born from an image, not a story line.

– Is it all right to make fun of people with Tourette’s?

– It should be all right to make fun of everything in life. No one has the copyright of being funny or to be made fun of. We are all funny in one way or another. But honestly, my intention was not to make fun of anyone in the film and I wasn’t even trying to make it funny. Anna’s movements just happen to be funny, that’s all.

SARCASTIC ICELANDERS

– Do you think that there exists a particular Nordic humour?

– No, definitely not. Each Nordic country has it’s particular humour. For instance, Icelanders are sarcastic, but try telling a sarcastic joke to a Swedish person, he or she will most likely not understand it. Generally speaking.

– What reactions do you wish to provoke in the audience with Anna?

– I strive to touch people in their guts or senses, rather than their intellect. I don’t want my films to be a safe place for the brain. We really should give the brain a break more often and just enjoy with our heart and senses.

– What projects are you currently working on?
– I just finished a 15 minutes short film called Bon Appétit. It hasn’t been premiered yet. I’m also in post production of a 60 minutes documentary about Icelandic farmers. Both these films hardly have any dialogue, by the way.

– What do you think of the current state of Icelandic film?

– Financially struggling, artistically blooming.
 

By Mads Suldrup and Thomas S. Sejersen / Filmmagasinet Ekko

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