Hvítur dagur

A White, White Day

A film by Hlynur Pálmason

The last time I saw Ingvar Sigurðsson was in person, in Vestrbæjarlaug, sharing water with him in one of the larger hot pots. With 91 acting credits on IMBD, Ingvar is arguably the preeminent Icelandic film actor. I’ve also seen him on stage; he is a commanding presence in any medium. In A White, White Day, Ingvar portrays Ingimunður, a police officer in a small town on the eastern coast of Iceland. He is old enough to have an eight-year-old granddaughter but still young enough to work. He is stoically grieving his wife, who died in a car accident. His family and friends (and a horrible psychologist) all try to help but, as the film develops, Ingmunður regresses from anger into rage as he learns more about the circumstances that led to his wife’s death.

This is a very stylized, fugue-like film; lots of static scenes are repeated with variations. Verry arty! It is also extremely sad, the slow-burn of its pacing might drive you crazy. Special note must be made of Ída Mekkín Hlynsdóttir as the granddaughter Salka. She is the female lead and is pitch-perfect as a child who must deal with a adult world twisted by events beyond her understanding.

Recommended, respecting the above-mentioned caveats.