A White, White Day
The Scandinavian hit at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival should prove quite popular among discerning art house audiences as mainstream film audiences ponder what all the fuss is about.
This puzzling thriller centers on an elderly policeman (Ingvar Sigurdsson) who is coming to terms with his wife’s passing. He learns that she was unfaithful prior to her death and he becomes obsessed in his investigation. The film delivers powerful performances and boasts mesmerising cinematography of picturesque Icelandic landscapes.
The unique techniques utilised including long-winded camera shots of a residence during seasonal change and the inexplicably inappropriate and irrelevant dark humour display the style of Scandinavian filmmaking which may be perplexing for general Australian audiences.
Universal themes of family, grieving and monogamy reverberate throughout the film, but the tediously slow-burning style of storytelling may induce disinterest.
A message ultimately surfaces that human infidelities may corrode memories of long-lasting relationships as harsh climactic elements corrode beautiful landscapes. (MMo)
★★★
