Kaldaljós

As I was watching this film I realized once again how lucky we are to have other sources of film than Hollywood. The plot repeatedly comes to a stop, in order to allow the full development of a moment - a child listening to the sounds of a new born baby in the night, the long wait by fisherman families at a dock for the return of a capsized boat (along with the discovery of who perished) - the repeated view of the great mountain above the village, the perilous threat of the sea, the family breakfast and bedroom moments, ... the short telephone call to his love, announcing that he was joining his life to hers. So much interior development. Which is where it occurs, right? The film passes a key test of quality for me - one week after viewing I am still thinking and remembering it with interest and pleasure.

Caveat: I'm Icelandic myself (i.e., my Grandfather was) - but wouldn't have a problem panning a poor quality Icelandic film.

Calvin Arnason