ABSTRACT
In this chapter the author looks at Faroese film presentations of youth, identity, and the transition to adulthood with focus on two feature films: Bye Bye Blue Bird by Katrin Ottarsdóttir (1999) and Dreams by the Sea [Dreymar við Havið] by Sakaris Stórá (2017). In both films, the story of two girls’ difficult journey into adulthood is illustrated in relation to issues like family, sexuality/gender, religion, islandness/nature, and freedom, as well as identity more generally. The relation between the small and the large place, and between the Faroes and Denmark (symbolizing ‘the big modern city’), is also a common feature of this pair of films produced by the most respected film directors of the Faroes. The ‘island’ is used as a key metaphor and concept in this chapter, which discusses youth identities in transformation in cinematographic presentations as well as in youth research from the Faroes. The landscape, colors, and rhythm of movement in the films are important for the analysis of the youth identities in present-day Faroese society.
