Icelandic journalist Gisella is on the verge of bankruptcy, having quit her steady job in order to write more hard-hitting stories as a freelancer while struggling with debt. After an assignment on Reykjavík’s housing crisis puts her into contact with two immigrant women squatting in a nearby estate — Abeba and her daughter Luna, from Uganda, and Marisol, from Colombia — she decides to rent them two of the spare bedrooms in her house.

What begins as a warm and hospitable arrangement for all soon begins to develop tensions, particularly as Gisella increasingly inserts herself in her new tenants’ lives; disagreeing with Abeba over her parenting of Luna, and secretly interviewing the women over glasses of wine at night for a potential freelance article on immigration. And as suspicions from each side begin to escalate, a power struggle develops that could have disastrous consequences. 

Based on the bestselling novel of Auður Jónsdóttir, The Deposit is a suspenseful psychological drama exploring the perils of cultural isolation. Directed by Ásthildur Kjartansdóttir (Iceland, 2019)

“A compelling psychological drama”—Cineurope

Ásthildur Kjartansdóttir is a director, screenwriter and producer from Iceland. 

Her debut short film, Palli alone in the world, was released in 1997. The Deposit is her feature debut.

Kicking off in coordination with International Women’s Day in March, ASF highlights strong new Nordic cinema from female perspectives directed by women in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.

Britt-Marie Was Here /Britt-Marie var här—FRI—MAR 6
Aurora—FRI—MAR 13
That Time of the Year /Den tid på året—FRI—MAR 20
Gods of Molenbeek /Aatos ja amine—FRI—MARCH 27
Transnistra—FRI—APR 3
Agnes Joy—FRI—APR 17
Phoenix /Føniks—FRI—APR 24
Maria’s Paradise /Marian paratiisi—FRI—MAY 1
The Deposit /Tryggð—FRI—MAY 8
The Reformist — A Female Imam /Reformisten—FRI—MAY 15