A White, White Day‎

{{Infobox film

| name = A White, White Day

| native_name = {{infobox name module|is|Hvítur, Hvítur Dagur}}

| image = A White, White Day.jpg

| caption = Film poster

| director = Hlynur Pálmason

| producer =

| writer = Hlynur Pálmason

| starring = Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson
Ída Mekkín Hlynsdóttir
Hilmir Snær Guðnason
Sara Dögg Ásgeirsdóttir

| music = Edmund Finnis

| cinematography = Maria von Hausswolff

| editing = Julius Krebs Damsbo

| distributor =

| released = {{film date|2019|5|16|Cannes|2019|9|6|Iceland|df=yes}}

| runtime = 109 minutes

| country = Iceland

| language = Icelandic

| budget = $2.8 million

| gross = $836,600{{cite The Numbers |id=Hvitur-Hvitur-Dagur-(Iceland) |title=Hvítur, Hvítur Dagur (2019) |access-date=25 December 2022}}

}}

A White, White Day ({{langx|is|Hvítur, Hvítur Dagur}}) is a 2019 Icelandic drama film directed by Hlynur Pálmason. It premiered in the Critics' Week section at the Cannes Film Festival on 16 May 2019. It won Best Film Award at the 2019 Torino Film Festival.{{cite web |url=https://www.torinofilmfest.org/en/37-torino-film-festival/film/hvÍtur,-hvÍtur-dagur/40941/ |title=Hvítur, Hvítur Dagur - Torino Film Festival |work=torinofilmfest.org |access-date=25 December 2022}} It was selected as the Icelandic entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.{{cite web |url=https://www.icelandreview.com/news/a-white-white-day-will-be-icelands-submission-to-the-oscars/ |title=A White, White Day Will Be Iceland's Submission to the Oscars |first=Gréta |last=Sigríður Einarsdóttir |work=Iceland Review |date=25 September 2019 |access-date=25 September 2019}}

Plot

Police chief Ingimundur, whose wife died in a car accident, reluctantly undergoes grief counselling. He works constantly on renovating a farm building for his daughter Elín's family, and sometimes looks after her daughter Salka.

After Elín gives him some of her mother's effects, he's shocked to find a video evidently recording an affair she had with a man called Olgeir Olafsson. He stakes out Olgeir's home and joins his football club. Bad weather closes the roads; while having a pixelated online therapy session, Ingimundur snaps and trashes the room, beating up two colleagues when they protest and locking them in the cells. Insulting his granddaughter Salka to get rid of her, he kidnaps Olgeir and takes him at gunpoint to a grave he's dug. He demands to know the truth about the affair, and what Olgeir thought of his wife. Olgeir obliges and Ingimundur yells in fury; Olgeir flees.

The next day Olgeir confronts and stabs Ingimundur, terrifying Salka. With a bleeding arm, Ingimundur carries the girl home through another white-out, apologising for being rude. Having finally acknowledged his grief and anger, he has a vision of his wife undressing and smiling at him as he weeps.{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/2019/film/global/hlynur-palmasons-a-white-white-day-sells-to-china-u-k-exclusive-1203260482/ |title=Hlynur Palmason's 'A White, White Day' Sells to China, U.K. |first=Christopher |last=Vourlias |magazine=Variety |date=6 July 2019 |access-date=28 September 2019}}

Cast

Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson as Ingimundur
Ída Mekkín Hlynsdóttir{{efn|Real-life daughter of the director, Hlynur Pálmason.{{cite web | last=Mitchell | first=Wendy | title=Hylnur Palmason on his Iceland-set Critics' Week selection 'A White, White Day' | website=Screen Daily| date=25 August 2023 | url=https://www.screendaily.com/features/hylnur-palmason-on-his-iceland-set-critics-week-selection-a-white-white-day/5139437.article | access-date=25 August 2023}}{{cite web | title=A White, White Day with writer-director Pálmason | website=Arkansas Online | date=1 May 2020 | url=https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2020/may/01/white-white-day-writer-director-palmason/ | access-date=25 August 2023}}{{cite web | last=McDonald | first=John | title=Film review: A White, White Day | website=Australian Financial Review | date=17 July 2020 | url=https://www.afr.com/life-and-luxury/arts-and-culture/death-longing-and-unrequited-rage-20200713-p55bir | access-date=25 August 2023}}}} as Salka
Hilmir Snær Guðnason as Olgeir
Sara Dögg Ásgeirsdóttir as Ingimundur's wife

Release

A White, White Day had its world premiere in the Critics' Week section at the Cannes Film Festival{{cite web |date=2019 |title=Hvítur, Hvítur Dagur A White, White Day {{!}} Un Jour si blanc|url=https://www.semainedelacritique.com/en/edition/2019/movie/hvitur-hvitur-dagur |work=semainedelacritique.com |access-date=25 December 2022}} on 16 May 2019.{{cite web |url=https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/372628/#cm |title=Cannes 2019 Critics' Week. Review: A White, White Day |website=Cineuropa |first=Marta |last=Bałaga |date=16 May 2019 |access-date=25 December 2022}} It was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the Toronto International Film Festival on 6 September 2019.{{cite web |url=https://www.tiff.net/events/a-white-white-day |title=A White, White Day - TIFF |work=tiff.net |access-date=25 December 2022}}

It was first theatrically released in Iceland on 6 September 2019 and on VOD by Film Movement Video{{cite web |url=https://www.filmmovement.com/product/a-white-white-day |title=A White, White Day - Film Movement |publisher=Film Movement |access-date=25 December 2022}} on 11 August 2020.

Reception

=Box office=

A White, White Day did not have a theatrical release in North America,{{cite web |title=A White, White Day|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt9801736/ |publisher=Box Office Mojo. IMDbPro |access-date=25 December 2022}} but grossed $836,600 in other territories, against a production budget of $2.8 million.

=Critical response=

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of {{RT data|score}} based on {{RT data|count}} reviews, with an average rating of {{RT data|average}}. The website's critics consensus reads: "A White, White Day plunges viewers into the darkness of grief and jealousy, led by Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson's brilliantly layered performance."{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_white_white_day |title=A White, White Day (2019) |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media |access-date={{RT data|access date|df=dmy}}}} On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 81 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".{{cite web |title=A White, White Day Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/a-white-white-day |publisher=Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. |access-date=25 December 2022}}

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian praised the film for its "startling aesthetic choices" and "enigmatic opening sequence."{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/jul/01/a-white-white-day-review-drama-thriller-policeman |title=A White, White Day review – spiralling rage and stunning force |first=Peter |last=Bradshaw |authorlink=Peter Bradshaw |date=1 July 2020|newspaper=The Guardian}} Brian Tallerico, writing for RogerEbert.com, gave the film 3 stars whilst positively highlighting leading man Sigurðsson. He also praised the ending with "such a devastating, powerful final shot that it alone erases most criticisms."{{Cite web |last=Tallerico |first=Brian |title=A White, White Day movie review (2020) |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/a-white-white-day-movie-review-2020|access-date=1 July 2020|website=rogerebert.com}} Variety praised the film's deliberate pacing that is preoccupied less with "ticking-clock storylines" but "slow cinema" often associated with foreign film directors outside the Hollywood bubble. It is described as "a terrifying, soul-rattling character study" which makes Pálmason one of "the most important voices of this emerging generation."{{Cite news |last=Debruge |first=Peter |date=5 April 2020 |title='A White, White Day': Film Review |url=https://variety.com/2020/film/reviews/a-white-white-day-review-1234571232/ |access-date=23 July 2020 |magazine=Variety}}