Film Archive

A White, White Day

Horizons 2019 / Hvítur, hvítur dagur / Iceland, Denmark, Sweden 2019

As he goes through his late wife’s effects, former police officer Ingimundur begins to question whether he truly knew her. Hlynur Pálmason’s emotionally complex and hypnotic film stands out for Maria von Hausswolff’s excellent cinematography and Ingvar E. Sigurðsson’s performance as the mourning and increasingly stubborn widower.

Synopsis

After his wife passes away, former police officer Ingimundur tries to overcome his grief by reconstructing a house. While going through her things, however, he discovers that the precarious balance he’s attained begins to crumble as he questions whether he truly knew his wife. Like the thick layer of fog masking the surrounding landscape, wisps of doubt settle around the grounded widower, feeding his suppressed anger. In his latest picture Hlynur Pálmason explores the essence of love, which can start out unconditional and selfless only to become obsessive and paralyzing. Maria von Hausswolff’s excellent cinematography and Ingvar E. Sigurðsson’s performance as the mourning yet defiant widower strengthen this hypnotic drama’s emotional punch.

Sandra Hezinová

About the film

109 min / Color, DCP

Director Hlynur Pálmason / Screenplay Hlynur Pálmason / Dir. of Photography Maria von Hausswolff / Music Edmund Finnis / Editor Julius Krebs Damsbo / Art Director Hulda Helgadóttir / Producer Anton Máni Svansson / Production Join Motion Pictures / Coproduction Snowglobe, Hob AB, Film i Väst / Cast Ingvar E. Sigurðsson, Ída Mekkín Hlynsdóttir, Hilmir Snær Guðnason, Björn Ingi Hilmarsson, Elma Stefanía Ágústsdóttir / Sales New Europe Film Sales / Distributor Aerofilms

About the director

Hlynur Pálmason (b. 1984, Hornafjörður, Iceland). Filmography: En dag eller to (2012, short), En maler (2013, short), Seven Boats (2014, short), Winter Brothers (Vinterbrødre, 2017), A White, White Day (Hvítur, hvítur dagur, 2019)