On the
review aggregator website
Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 49% approval rating, based on 51 reviews with an
average rating of 5.6/10. The website's consensus reads, "This look at a fraught family reunion should be easily relatable, but
The Sea drowns viewers in melodrama when it should be carrying them toward darkly comedic shores." On
Metacritic, the film holds a score of 52 out of 100, which is based on 23 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.
Awards The film won eight awards at the
Edda Awards, Iceland in 2002 (Best Actor for Gunnar Eyjólfsson, Best Actress for Elva Ósk Ólafsdóttir, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor for Sigurður Skúlason, Best Supporting Actress for Herdís Þorvaldsdóttir, Film of the Year and Professional Category: Sound/Vision), where it was also nominated for 4 more awards. In the same year, it was nominated for the
Nordic Council Film Prize and for the
Golden Shell at the
San Sebastián International Film Festival. In 2003, it won the
FIPRESCI Prize at the
Istanbul International Film Festival, where it was also nominated for the Golden Tulip, and the Audience Award at the
Tromsø International Film Festival in Norway. ==References==