X
- 2020
- Unrated
- Film Movement
- 1 h 49 m
- 2020
- Unrated
- Film Movement
- 1 h 49 m
Summary In a remote Icelandic town, an off-duty police chief (Ingvar Sigurdsson) begins to suspect a local man of having had an affair with his late wife, who died in a tragic accident two years earlier. Gradually his obsession for finding out the truth takes over his life and inevitably begins to endanger himself and his loved ones. [Film Movem...
Directed By: Hlynur Pálmason
Written By: Hlynur Pálmason
- 2020
- Unrated
- Film Movement
- 1 h 49 m
- 2020
- Unrated
- Film Movement
- 1 h 49 m
A White, White Day
6.7
Where to Watch
Summary In a remote Icelandic town, an off-duty police chief (Ingvar Sigurdsson) begins to suspect a local man of having had an affair with his late wife, who died in a tragic accident two years earlier. Gradually his obsession for finding out the truth takes over his life and inevitably begins to endanger himself and his loved ones. [Film Movem...
Directed By: Hlynur Pálmason
Written By: Hlynur Pálmason
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 15 Critic Reviews
81
87% Positive
13 Reviews
13 Reviews
13% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 15 Critic Reviews
81
87% Positive
13 Reviews
13 Reviews
13% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
What’s remarkable about Hlynur Pálmason’s drama is the way its elemental settings lend everything an oneiric quality. Yet the scenes play out with a very real, visceral intensity, especially once Ingimundur uncovers an uncomfortable secret about his marriage and seeks an outlet for his anger.
The result is an emotionally wringing film, equally effective in the narrative and tone-poem departments.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 19 User Ratings
6.7
63% Positive
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
26% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
11% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 19 User Ratings
6.7
63% Positive
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
26% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
11% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
Starts off slow, and then after a rock falls into the sea there is a rapid buildup in events, as the main character has a dramatic meltdown. Every scene a painting. A directorial tour de force, loved it.
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A very slow Icelandic drama about an aging cop trying to cope with his personal loss.
What I liked about the movie: cinematography, over-all directing, the style, but most of all, the performance of the cop's granddaughter Salka played by a very young rising star Ida Mekkin Hlinsdottir (do not even try to say it aloud :-) who happened to be the director's daughter.
That was her debut and quite an impressive one.
What I did not like: the music score.
All in all: I would recommend this movie for those who can tolerate long films.
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This bizarre and sometimes scary film from Iceland has a way of keeping you off balance and on the edge of your seat.
A White, White Day is Ingimundur’s film through and through, centred on Sigurdsson’s intensely gruff, brooding performance. But Hlynsdóttir’s Salka gives him a run for his money.
A flesh and blood catalogue of ways to be masculine, from tender with his granddaughter to robustly no-nonsense with a weapon, Ingimundur is a fascinating character, splendidly portrayed.
It sometimes feels like Palmason is being a bit self-indulgent with his slow pace, but Ingvar Sigurdsson keeps the film grounded, and ends it with such a devastating, powerful final shot that it alone erases most criticisms. It may take a bit longer than it needed to get there, but the destination packs a wallop.
I didn’t fall for the surfeit of mood manipulation that opens A White, White Day. All that time-lapse stuff and its ilk is a nice contrast to the shock and action that takes over the third act. They’re just a very dull way of managing that.
A gorgeously filmed, well-acted tale of loss, romance and revenge that presents its story in novel ways, with ample symbolic references that cleverly reinforce the thrust of the narrative. Director Hylnur Palmason, handily a rising star, inventively tells his tale in intriguing ways, such as effectively letting his cinematography do the talking in place of words, a technique from which other filmmakers could learn a lot. However, despite the picture's many strengths, it meanders somewhat in the middle, taking longer than it should to pin down what it's trying to say. A little tidying up, slightly quickened pacing and greater emphasis on its core underlying message would have worked wonders to make a good film an even better one.
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It never gets as interesting or complex as you think it will get and sometimes it feels like the movie is seeking the 100min mark as if it was first conceived as a short and then turned into a feature film. It is a nice watch, though, as photography and performances are great and the Icelandic setting gives you something different to look at.
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(Mauro Lanari)
A minimalism extremized up to the asphyxiating chilled rarefaction, interspersed with a handful of symbolisms between one dead time and another to tell of an adultery. When you have so little to say (revenge movie interruptus), you take refuge in style and aestheticization becomes everything.
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Production Company
Join Motion Pictures,
Film i Väst,
Snowglobe Films,
Hobab,
Glassriver,
Danmarks Radio (DR),
Det Danske Filminstitut,
Iceland's Ministry of Industry and Commerce,
Icelandic Film Center,
Kukl,
MEDIA Programme of the European Union,
Nordisk Film & TV-Fond,
Ríkisútvarpið-Sjónvarp (RÚV),
Sena,
Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI)
Release Date Apr 17, 2020
Duration 1 h 49 m
Rating Unrated
Website
http://www.jmp.is/
Awards
Edda Awards, Iceland
• 6 Wins & 12 Nominations
Torino Film Festival
• 3 Wins & 3 Nominations
Hamptons International Film Festival
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations
