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A White, White Day
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Wikipedia article
'A White, White Day' is a 2019 Icelandic drama film directed by Hlynur Plmason. It was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. It was selected as the Icelandic entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.
Plot
Police chief Ingimundur, whose wife died in a car accident, reluctantly undergoes grief counselling, works constantly on renovating a farm building for his daughter Eln's family, and sometimes looks after her daughter Salka. Eln gives him some of her mother's effects, and he's shocked to find a video evidently recording an affair she had with a man called Olgeir Olafsson. He stakes out Olgeir's home, joining his football club. Bad weather closes the roads; while having a pixellated online therapy session, he snaps and trashes the room, beating up two colleagues when they protest and locking them in the cells. Insulting Salka to get rid of her, he kidnaps Olgeir and takes him at gunpoint to a grave he's dug, demanding to know the truth about the affair, and what Olgeir thought of her. Olgeir obliges and Ingimundur yells in fury; Olgeir flees. The next day Olgeir confronts and stabs Ingimundur, terrifying Salka. With a bleeding arm, Ingimundur carries her home through another white-out, apologising for being rude. Having finally acknowledged his grief and anger, he has a vision of his wife undressing and smiling at him as he weeps.
Cast
* Ingvar Eggert Sigursson as Ingimundur
* da Mekkn Hlynsdttir as Salka
* Hilmir Snr Gunason as Olgeir
* Sara Dgg sgeirsdttir as Ingimundur's wife
Reception
Box office
'A White, White Day' grossed approximately $340,000 across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average rating of . The website's critics consensus reads: "'A White, White Day' plunges viewers into the darkness of grief and jealousy, led by Ingvar Eggert Sigursson's brilliantly layered performance." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 80 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".Peter Bradshaw of 'The Guardian' praised the film for its "startling aesthetic choices" and "enigmatic opening sequence."
Brian Tallerico, writing for Roger Ebert, gave the film 3 stars whilst positively highlighting leading man Sigursson. He also praised the ending with "such a devastating, powerful final shot that it alone erases most criticisms." 'Variety' praised the film's deliberate pacing that is preoccupied less with "ticking-clock storylines" but "slow cinema" often associated with foreign film directors outside the Hollywood bubble. It is described as "a terrifying, soul-rattling character study" which makes Palmasson one of "the most important voices of this emerging generation."
See also
* List of submissions to the 92nd Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film
* List of Icelandic submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
References
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