Iceland the Photo

The two guys on either side, Runar Hreinsson on the left and Jon Thor Hannesson on the right, (I'm on the ground on the right in the blue shirt) were our 'guides' in Iceland. But let's face it, they were more than just guides. They were our old western scouts, the ones who could put their ears to the ground and hear the hoof beats of the horses of the Indians who were chasing us, their ears to the tracks and tell how far the train was coming. They could speak the language of the Apache and the Souix and new where to set our camp beneath the long dark night.

In some beautiful way they were the kind of guys who reminded me why I love the job I have. Runar was always winking at me, this tell tale sort of, 'I know who you are, and you're ok' sort of wink. And somehow through that wink I knew that I was ok even if perhaps I didn't know before. Jon Thor was wise like someone from a Lord of the Rings type story, a man who knew of the world but lived in a magical kingdom called Iceland. He brought us to the glacier of a thousand miles, he took us to the water falls of mystical crystal water, he showed us things, like the best bars in Reykevik to hang out in. But more than that, more than stories of Christopher Nolan filming Batman Begins, more than showing us where they filmed the scene where Batman hung from a cliff, he was just the coolest guy, like an Icelandic Clint Eastwood, but humble and deep. These men reminded me why I wanted to be a filmmaker, artist, whatever it is I am, when I started. They reminded me that there is a breed, often found in those that make things on film, who live this remarkable but simple existence, who know that this life is great in the weavings of relationships, and a man's word is his bond. More than the awesome and magical landscapes, bigger than the ever changing skies, I have to say that those two guys are the reason Iceland is a great and wonderful land. Those two were the best part of our trip.