A White, White Day

Amazing Icelandic drama, with a great score and ambience, not recommended for those annoyed with slow-paced movies

"A White, White Day" is a Drama movie in which we watch a retired police officer suspecting a man who was having an affair with his recently passed wife. Soon he will lose control and he will create a hostile environment for him and the rest of his family.

I was surprised by this movie because it was interesting due to its plot that dag into the human soul and the grieving of a person who just want to find out the truth. The interpretations of both Ingvar Sigurdsson who played as Ingimundur and Ída Mekkín Hlynsdóttir who played as Salka were absolutely outstanding and made the difference. The direction which was made by Hlynur Palmason, it was simply amazing and I found very interesting the way he presented our main character, his life and also how he presents us the grieving if his main character. Finally, I have to say that "A White, White Day" is an interesting drama movie and I am sure that after watching it you will think of it for a long time.

Old Cop slowly goes crazy after learning about his deceased wife's past. Southern style drama of revenge and jealousy set in the high North. Great performances, great art direction, interesting visualizations. Recommended.

Ingumundur lives alone on a desolate farm. He is trying to rebuild his house and is looking after his granddaughter from time to time. He is quiet on the surface, but underneath he is grieving for his recently deceased wife. When a disturbing detail about his wife's past suddenly comes to the surface it threatens to destroy the fragile peace he has created, and affects everyone he loves.

When the movie starts with good few minutes of a car driving down a misty road you know you are in for a long ride. The harsh landscape of the setting is almost a character in the film. It gives the movie almost a magnetic quality. But there's a sense of imminent tragedy lurking underneath it all.

WHITE WHITE DAY tells a seemingly simple story, but is secretive at times, letting the viewers decide for themselves what motivates the characters. And it is often what happens off screen that has the real impact.

The cinematography however goes a bit overboard with still static shots of everchanging nature, as beautiful as they are they quickly turn irritating.

There are wonderful performances from all involved, specifically a tour de force from the lead Ingvar Siggurdson, as he slowly goes to pieces, his anger, pain and frustration tearing him apart on the inside, as he is just sitting there quietly like a bomb ready to go off.

WHITE WHITE DAY has a story to tell and has some interesting characters to match. It is, however first, and foremost an Arthouse film that tries to experiment with cinematography, light and pacing. It also relies on the viewer's attention, but it is a long , slightly depressing movie and not everyone will last the distance. But if you do it is rather rewarding.

Some movies hide the fact that they have little to say beyond the artistic impressions. WHITE WHITE DAY is not such a film.

My partner & I are obsessive Icelandic fans - and absorb most of the culture there that we can get our hands on. Most film & TV that manage to get this far are surprisingly bleak and Hvítur dagur is no exception.

The film is a rather dry tale of one man's descent and journey through grief with some arresting visuals and an unexpectedly, almost avant, presentation. The lilting drift between stark reality and implied fantasy isn't particularly well defined (intentionally enigmatic rather) - leaving the potentially enlightening ending as a dull thud for me. The draw here is the particularly strong lead performance (Ingvar Sigurðsson, playing a very different type of tragic character than he did in Ófærð) and as always, the biggest star of any Icelandic film, the stunningly monumental and ever-changing countryside.