A White, White Day

Released Feb 28, 2020

1h 49m

Drama

List

93%

72 Reviews

Tomatometer

A police chief becomes obsessed with finding out if his dead wife was having an affair.

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Critics Consensus

A White, White Day plunges viewers into the darkness of grief and jealousy, led by Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson's brilliantly layered performance.

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Paul Byrnes

Sydney Morning Herald

The film fairly ravishes the senses, with its sense of weather as destiny. All of the performances are solid. Sigurdsson and Hlynsdottir, as grandfather and granddaughter, are like granite: the film succeeds because of their bond.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 16, 2020

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Danny Leigh

Financial Times

What now for a director this eye-poppingly talented? It would be unwise to miss the answer.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 8, 2020

Full Review

Simran Hans

Observer (UK)

The momentum really builds in the third act, but the film's quieter moments of contemplation are its most striking.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 5, 2020

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Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

It is outlined as a down-to-earth drama that achieves moments of psychological scope with its austere and frigid atmospheres, but whose core is almost always run over by the lack of narrative impulse that puts me in iceberg mode. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 6/10

Apr 4, 2023

Full Review

M.N. Miller

Ready Steady Cut

A White, White Day is an Icelandic noir that, at times, has great power in the moments where a single, chilling nonverbal look from the great Ingvar Sigurðsson says everything you need to know that’s boiling beneath the surface.

Rated: 3.5/5

Sep 2, 2022

Full Review

Cris Kennedy

The Canberra Times (Australia)

A White, White Day is a stunningly beautiful piece of art.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 16, 2022

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isla s

This is quite a melancholic/atmospheric film, featuring some great cinematography, cloudy Icelandic shots (the choice of film title becomes very clear within the first few minutes of the film - the irony of it being called 'white, white' when the content is distinctly 'black, black' did not pass me by either) and I also appreciated the use of instrumental music in the background at key moments, to perhaps help the viewer imagine the state of the people depicted on screen. Suffice to say its got quite a mysterious feel to it. I couldn't help wondering what we'd learn about the rather quiet and sullen main character and his grand child, who I was concerned for given the man's temperament. There's even a surreal element to this film, with segments relating to a particularly bizarre show originally depicted on a TV screen within the house (during the film), which sounds really quite sinister and, of course, mysterious, plus ominous. It's perhaps a hard film to describe as such but I wouldn't want to provide spoilers, so I'll leave it pretty much at that. If your a fan of Scandi noirs, of European mystery dramas, then yes, I would recommend this film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A White White day is the most harrowing, most depressing, and most realistic interpretation of grief in any movie I've ever seen. Throughout this movies 109 minute runtime, we are shown one of the most emotionally harrowing films to ever come out. This is a cinematic experience that remains completely unparalleled. 10/10

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

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andrey k

Icelandic cinema is characterized by cold atmsophere, certain degree of mood, contemplative nature of its cinematography, touch characters and realistic plots. All these components are present in this film, which is fascinating to behold even if its plot involves such unpleasant themes as jealousy and revenge which are aggravated by the fact that the main protagonist's wife is now dead and he unnecessarily starts to dig into the past, albeit understandably. Nobody wins from these explorations including his granddaughter.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

nefasto r

Slow-burning but with an amazing direction and scenes full of pathos, grief and sadness. Interesting

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I loved it, but it won't be to everyone's taste; it's oblique and nuanced, with a very variable pace. It's Icelandic, so they're all watching each other carefully all the time (through traffic cameras in this movie), despite the low population density. Not easy to forget, though, and the acting is outstanding.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

raphael g

So beautiful to look at. You immerse yourself into it slowly, without even noticing it.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Hlynur Pálmason

Director

Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson

Ingimundur

Ída Mekkín Hlynsdóttir

Salka

Hilmir Snær Guðnason

Olgeir

Sara Dögg Ásgeirsdóttir

Ingimundur's wife

Björn Ingi Hilmarsson

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Synopsis

A police chief becomes obsessed with finding out if his dead wife was having an affair.

Director: Hlynur Pálmason
Producer: Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson, Hlynur Pálmason, Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson
Screenwriter: Hlynur Pálmason
Distributor: Film Movement
Production Co: Snowglobe Films, Film i Väst, Join Motion Pictures
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Icelandic
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 28, 2020, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 24, 2020
Runtime: 1h 49m
Sound Mix: Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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