A White, White Day

2019 1h 49m IS

😐

6.1

MID

★6.1TMDB · 129

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In a remote Icelandic town, an off duty police chief begins to suspect a local man to have had an affair with his wife, who has recently died in a car accident. Gradually his obsession for finding out the truth accumulates and inevitably begins to endanger himself and his loved ones. A story of grief, revenge and unconditional love.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Ingvar E. Sigurðsson
Ingimundur
Ída Mekkín Hlynsdóttir
Salka
Hilmir Snær Guðnason
Olgeir
Björn Ingi Hilmarsson
Trausti
Elma Stefanía Ágústsdóttir
Elín
Sara Dögg Ásgeirsdóttir
Ingimundur's wife
Haraldur Ari Stefánsson
Stefán
Sigurður Sigurjónsson
Bjössi

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Hlynur Pálmason
Writers: Hlynur Pálmason
Languages: English, Icelandic
Countries: Denmark, Iceland, Sweden

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 7 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Icelandic.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Denmark, Iceland, Sweden.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Hlynur Pálmason, shot by Maria von Hausswolff. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Edmund Finnis. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Julius Krebs Damsbo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Ingvar E. Sigurðsson and Ída Mekkín Hlynsdóttir and Hilmir Snær Guðnason carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt9801736 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Hlynur Pálmason directs. Maria von Hausswolff behind the camera. Edmund Finnis scores. Julius Krebs Damsbo cuts. Produced in Denmark, Iceland, Sweden. Dialogue in English, Icelandic.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 7 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Icelandic.
3International production across 3 countries: Denmark, Iceland, Sweden.
4Directed by Hlynur Pálmason, shot by Maria von Hausswolff. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Edmund Finnis. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Julius Krebs Damsbo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Ingvar E. Sigurðsson and Ída Mekkín Hlynsdóttir and Hilmir Snær Guðnason carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt9801736 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Maria von Hausswolff
Original score: Edmund Finnis
Editing: Julius Krebs Damsbo
Production design: Hulda Helgadóttir
Costume design: Nina Grønlund
Makeup / hair: Katrine Tersgov
VFX supervisor: Elfar Sverrisson
Sound: Lars Halvorsen
Runtime: 109 min · 1h 49m
Status: Released
Original language: IS
IMDB: A White, White Day (2019)

Also by

Hlynur Pálmason

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

SWITCH.2020-07-22
★ 8/10
Short on plot but long on atmospherics, Pálmason's film reveals itself as a deeply considered and profound statement about the slippery nature of masculinity, loneliness, anger and the human capacity for love. - Jake Watt Read Jake's full article... https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-a-white-white-day-love-loss-and-anger-in-iceland
Peter McGinn2021-09-02
★ 6/10
It seems to me that A White, Whirte Day was trying to be an artsy Indie type film and, if I am right, I think they aimed too low. The way the camera sometimes lingers on a still life scene, the times when it feels like they are using symbolism, such as when we watch a rock rock a great distance down a hill, off a cliff, into the water and down to the ocean floor — all seem to be working too hard at it, screen time which I believe would be better served focusing on the atmospheric use of the landscape and the fog. The writing is strong in many places, but inconsistent. The child Salka is my favorite character, stealing scenes as often as not. She isn’t one of those stereotypical adults in a child’s body. She behaves as a child many times, but she is also given some good lines and delivers them well. It would have been easier for me to submerge myself in this movie if I had liked the main character, but alas, I never really rooted for him. His best moments were, again, with his granddaughter; other than those scenes I found myself wishing he were shuttled into the background more and other characters brought forward. The plot crawls to a crescendo at the end. I won’t give away any details, but I found it to be unrealistic and felt that the main character was allowed to get off way too easy for his actions. Though I will say that, unlike many of the Indie films it may be emulating, it does have an ending of sorts, rather than just stopping trhe plot and action in midair.
badelf2026-04-19
★ 6/10
This is what happens when Icelandic movie maker, familiar with Kurasawa, has channeled Shakespeare in his dreams - an unbearably long art-house film. Salka (Ída Mekkín Hlynsdóttir) was great in this.