Björn Sigurðsson

Robert T. Edison was born and raised in Nottingham, England. When he was fourteen years old he began to practice Buddhism. Eighteen years old he became a monk and went to Thailand where, for a decade, he spent his time in monasteries around the country. He became the first Buddhist monk in Iceland when he moved here in 1994 and founded a Buddhist sect. Five years later Robert decided to "derobe" and get married. After sixteen years of celibacy Robert had to deal with being "normal" - getting employment, paying his bills and dealing with the needs of his partner. After four years in "the real world" Robert travelled back to Thailand to become a monk again. Act Normal is filmed from 1994 to 2006 and is a unique exploration of one man´s twelve-year search for some kind of love.

This is a documentary about the people living in barracks in Reykjavik from the year 1940 till 1970. This is an important chapter in Reykjavik history and for the national as whole. The Icelandic community turned from the farm life to a urban city in a very short period of time and these barrack communities were an example about this tremendous growth in the city. Here we see the barracks put in a perspective as a historic event that depicts the various livelihood of people in the growing city. We follow people that actually lived in these barracks and hear what they have to say and experienced in these times.