Summary then Analysis:
"A White, White Day" follows Ingimundur (brilliantly portrayed by Icelandic actor Ingvar Sigurdsson), a police officer seemingly on leave after the death of his wife. He attempts to fill his time by reconstructing a farm house for his daughter. This turns out to be a Sisyphean task that mirrors his grief for his wife. He also spends his days with his young granddaughter who would jokingly remind him that he is second best to only his late wife.
Ingimundur seems to be in a purgatorial state, living day to day until he finds a video camera in one of his late wife's leftover boxes. Having thought he has found a token of everlasting memory, he is shocked to find a tape that will cal into question their entire relationship.
"A White, White Day" is very much a character study of a man dealing with the grief of a loved one. However, it does not follow a traditional film's storyline. Not time wise, but what we expect.
American films have taught us to follow our protagonist as they pursue a clear cut goal enduring consequences within in a narrow time frame. International directors often reject this notion and we see this with Pálmason's film. The audience becomes spectators to a bipartisan view of a man's attempt to deal with grief. The lens very seldom follows or mirrors what our emotional viewpoint may be at the time. Simply standing back and allowing us to view the product of grief and male machismo. Until... it erupts.
Ingimundur, having doubts about the validity of his relationship or perhaps merely tilting at windmills, partakes a journey to discover the truth behind his relationship. Ingimundur's odyssey is not unlike that of Odysseus': he runs into several obstacles, usually making a conceited or reactionary decision that should only come back to haunt him. All the while building and demolishing his own faith in his relationship. In addition, beginning a journey of knowledge only to find himself in the place where he had started. Knowing it for the first time.
The film ends, in what is perhaps it's most brilliant scene, with Ingimundur sitting on the couch as Memories by Leonard Cohen plays. The raw emotion hits upon all wavelengths he has felt culminating in self recognition of his own grief and destruction.
"A White, White Day" is a tremendous slow-burn drama about how many men bury their grief in an attempt to stay strong for their loved ones. Using unique art direction and long takes, this Icelandic film is a sure pleasure for those with the patience and appreciation for thematic cinema.
"A White, White Day" follows Ingimundur (brilliantly portrayed by Icelandic actor Ingvar Sigurdsson), a police officer seemingly on leave after the death of his wife. He attempts to fill his time by reconstructing a farm house for his daughter. This turns out to be a Sisyphean task that mirrors his grief for his wife. He also spends his days with his young granddaughter who would jokingly remind him that he is second best to only his late wife.
Ingimundur seems to be in a purgatorial state, living day to day until he finds a video camera in one of his late wife's leftover boxes. Having thought he has found a token of everlasting memory, he is shocked to find a tape that will cal into question their entire relationship.
"A White, White Day" is very much a character study of a man dealing with the grief of a loved one. However, it does not follow a traditional film's storyline. Not time wise, but what we expect.
American films have taught us to follow our protagonist as they pursue a clear cut goal enduring consequences within in a narrow time frame. International directors often reject this notion and we see this with Pálmason's film. The audience becomes spectators to a bipartisan view of a man's attempt to deal with grief. The lens very seldom follows or mirrors what our emotional viewpoint may be at the time. Simply standing back and allowing us to view the product of grief and male machismo. Until... it erupts.
Ingimundur, having doubts about the validity of his relationship or perhaps merely tilting at windmills, partakes a journey to discover the truth behind his relationship. Ingimundur's odyssey is not unlike that of Odysseus': he runs into several obstacles, usually making a conceited or reactionary decision that should only come back to haunt him. All the while building and demolishing his own faith in his relationship. In addition, beginning a journey of knowledge only to find himself in the place where he had started. Knowing it for the first time.
The film ends, in what is perhaps it's most brilliant scene, with Ingimundur sitting on the couch as Memories by Leonard Cohen plays. The raw emotion hits upon all wavelengths he has felt culminating in self recognition of his own grief and destruction.
"A White, White Day" is a tremendous slow-burn drama about how many men bury their grief in an attempt to stay strong for their loved ones. Using unique art direction and long takes, this Icelandic film is a sure pleasure for those with the patience and appreciation for thematic cinema.