A White, White Day

Slow, depressive Icelandic films about sad freaks are already a sub-genre on their own. This one in particular drags a lot, at least at the beginning. On top of that, the main character is an unlikeable grumpy old man with no sympathy for anything or anyone, who repeatedly behaves like idiot to those around him while demanding others should be flawless. And, according to the film, they should understand and sympathise with him. I have the same problem I had with the recent Woman at War, also from Iceland. I like my Icelanders better with their famous black humour. #KVIFF2019 (07/02/2019)

Statistically speaking, Iceland produces probably the most movies for a resident in Europe, which moreover can be seen worldwide at different festivals. On one hand it would be thanks to the locations, on the other thanks to the people who generally tend to like arts. The director Hlynur Palmason used both of those aspects to their fullest potential. Long story-telling and shots often create a great movie experience where you are watching, for example, a stone rolling down the hill or a shot of a building from a particular angle throughout all four seasons. Those shots are just beautiful. You are watching a dry land without a tree or just a single leaf, the mist that consumes those pointed rock-hills. I don’t know about you but for me it creates a totally Zen-like atmosphere. Unlike Ingvar Sigurðsson who makes me feel uneasy. Probably thanks to that fact his performance was excellent. His character didn’t speak much and that’s why he spoke through his body and mainly eyes. I’m almost not afraid to call it a new acting style. A great experience that actually is a standard for Iceland. Nevertheless this movie is more about the landscape than the dialogues, and therefore it is necessary to be prepared for that. (10/09/2020)

Slowly, without unnecessary words, peculiarly and at the same time suitably dramatically: it is possibly only Icelanders who can tell stories this way. Much of this is certainly due to the inhospitable environment in which they live. Ingvar Sigurðsson's precise portrayal of the central role, fully concentrating on expressing inner feelings and dilemmas closer, is breathtaking. (70%) (04/22/2023)

A study of the character of an Icelandic cop, dad, granddad and, above all, a recently widowed man who reveals the secrets of his deceased wife. This is not a detective story, but a very intimate drama about love beyond the grave, disappointment and forgiveness. The seemingly simple theme is made more interesting by the narration, in which the viewers have to answer some questions for themselves and the creative screenwriting/editing insertions that make the film distinctive (the initial showing of the different faces of Icelandic weather, police monitors, a falling stone, etc.). Ingvar Sigurðsson is excellent. (09/29/2019)

This originally and poetically recounted Icelandic drama excels through an excellent camera and the performance of Ingvar Sigurðsson in the lead role, combining masculinity and stubbornness with subtle sensitivity. The well-directed and subtle film deals with the psychological transformation of a widower who, while babysitting his granddaughter, drives away his grief by building a family home, and his response to the shock of going through his wife's estate as an unexpected substitute for mourning is silent defiance, followed by a noisy eruption. (06/30/2019)