Terribly Beautiful

Terribly Beautiful is an experimental short film that takes viewers on a 5-week solitary journey through Iceland, intertwining the raw beauty of the landscape with an intimate exploration
of memory and identity. Creative process becomes an act of destruction and self-discovery. In the stark landscape of Iceland, a filmmaker immerses herself in her own memories, creating
a visual essay on the edge of beauty and solitude.

Her goal is to escape the idealized images of Iceland and experience the country in a deeply sensory and personal way. The camera becomes an extension of her body, capturing not just sights, but also sounds, textures, and smells of the environment.

Terribly Beautiful takes the form of a visual essay where boundaries between past and present, reality and memory, blur. The film is an intimate journey through external and internal landscapes, where the creative act becomes an act of destruction. Through its unique approach to filmmaking, Terribly Beautiful invites viewers to experience Iceland not as a series
of picturesque postcards, but as a complex, sensory journey that mirrors the filmmaker’s internal struggle and ultimate self-discovery.

The essay was created during the Essay Film Studio international course organized by the New Narrative Lab at Lodz Film School. More about the course here.