Un jour si blanc

Arthouse, slow burn, slow pace - all those things are correct to say the least. And depending on the amount of slack you are willing to cut it ... you will be able to enjoy this on different levels. It really takes more than a while to go ... well "off". But when it does (towards the end) ... there is more than just a little impact to it.

The main actor gives it his all. Whether it is a powerful scene or one that is as subtle as it gets. Add to that a child actor who is amazing as well and you got a great combo/team. Not for everyone, for obvious reasons, but those who will like it, will love it.

... that almost self extinguishes but is saved by the rage of a widower upon discovering the infidelity of his dead spouse. The lines between sanity, grief, madness and anger achingly filmed and pondering through the mistiness of recollection.

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.

Bottomless grief, that is the main ingredient in this Icelandic film. How a man mourns the loss of his beloved wife. Masterfully played in a beautiful landscape, we follow the main character who tries to take back everyday life after his great loss. He drowns himself at work, and takes care of a grandchild. All in an attempt to deal with the grief. He reluctantly goes into therapy. We suspect something is going on with the main man, and that he really is hurting. He struggles. The film portrays this very well. It's slow and lingering, but this suits the film well. Eventually, his grief turns to hatred. This change in the plot leads to the film gaining more tempo, and gradually becoming exciting as well. Absolutely worth seeing, but it takes time to get into.

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.