“My Funeral” (originally “Jardarforin min”) is a darkly funny Icelandic miniseries about a newly-retired man who, on the day he retires, gets some very bad news. But, first, an author’s note on this review: for those fluent in Icelandic, please excuse the spelling of the original title and names to follow. I don’t know how to type some of your language-specific letters, so this is the closest I could get.
This charming miniseries of six half-hour episodes covers a newly retired gent, Benedikt “Benni” (Porhallur Sigurdsson) who learns he has a fatally-advanced brain tumor. He rejects chemo and radiation which could possibly give him more time, but severely debilitated throughout. Surgery is an option, though his odds of surviving it are only 20%.
Benni has been quite self-contained. He’s known at work as a penny-pinching guardian of the company’s expenses. He lives alone. His new-agey ex-wife left him long ago to pursue an alternate lifestyle with her younger lover. His adult son, Bjorn (Evar Por Benediktsson), resents the old man who always seemed cold and distant. Benni’s only close friend is his work and golfing buddy Hjalti (Einar Gunn); and his only loving relative is young granddaughter Sisi (Birta Hall). Benni decides to enjoy some quality at the end, rather than shoot for quantity.
After a life of self-deprivation – financially and socially – Benni starts undergoing changes. More time with Sisi; spending money on pleasures he’d forgone, all in an effort to make the (almost certain) last few weeks of his life before the operation he probably won’t survive more meaningful than he’d ever allowed for himself. This further deepens the rift with his son, who wants the old man to help him buy a larger home with the money he sees Benni blowing on personal whims. Benni rants about how his son and that whole generation need to fend for themselves… like he and his did.
But the biggest indulgence is the eponymous ceremony. Benni plans an elaborate funeral for the day before his operation, so he can attend and experience the program he wants. From his perspective, it will be the first time he did something significant for himself. From almost everyone else’s viewpoint, he’s somewhere between insensitively selfish and just plain nuts. Sisi, Hjalti and the local reverend Olof (Ragnheidur Steindorsdottir) – who also happens to be the woman he pined for in his youth – seem to be the only ones who understand and support him.
The preparations are elaborate and not without glitches. The hassles from his son and ex are amusingly annoying. Benni also has a learning curve of self-awareness adding heart to the proceedings. Sigurdsson under-acts appropriately for one who has been virtually sleepwalking through an ordinary life until imminent death started generating new awareness and insights. Performances are excellent across the board from a very relatable cast. The comedic side is mostly more droll and bittersweet than belly-laugh hilarious, but the levity and sentiment complement each other quite nicely. If your eyes stay dry through the funeral sequence, you have a heart of stone.
“My Funeral,” mostly in Icelandic with English subtitles, begins streaming on MHz Choice on Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025.
RATING: 2.5 out of 4 stars
