Synopsis

In a dim, enclosed space, a lone woman moves with slow, involuntary gestures, as if struggling against forces inside her own body. Her contractions, pauses, and drifting motions suggest a being caught between consciousness and surrender. The room feels less like a physical location than a haunted interior, where the figure is pulled toward an unseen call. As the music unfolds, she appears to float between control and collapse, creating an eerie portrait of instability, isolation, and transformation.

Factoids & Trivia

• "Varðeldur" was part of Sigur Rós' Valtari Mystery Film Experiment, a project in which filmmakers were given music from the album and broad creative freedom rather than a conventional video brief.

• The official description presents the film as a portrait of "an unstable entity in a haunted vessel" being drawn toward and away from a siren song.

• The six-minute film was shot on Super 16mm and later transferred to digital. Selma Banich provides the performance at the center of the piece.

• The video was released on August 13, 2012, as the seventh film in the Valtari series.

• The project ultimately included 16 films and thanked more than 800 people who submitted entries to the related fan competition.

• A second official film for "Varðeldur" was released on October 22, 2012. That separate interpretation uses a high-speed camera to depict a floating human figure and water in a dreamlike space.