A giant rooster attacks at night. An archery target becomes animate. A goose seeks revenge on a human egg thief. These surreal events provide the mix of sarcasm, symbolism and sombreness to this Icelandic film. A movie that will have audiences wondering what they’re watching. The most pragmatic answer to this question is: Hlynur Pálmason’s fourth feature film.
Taking place roughly during the course of one year, The Love That Remains shows the break-up of a married couple with three children. Anna (Saga Garðarsdóttir) is an unsuccessful artist, going from abstract prints to landscape pieces. Magnus (Sverrir Gudnason) is a fisherman, admitting to his friends that he barely recognises his wife. An allegorical scene illustrates Magnus’s sentiments towards his spouse, in a fine example of the movie’s quirky sense of humour: during a a picnic, Anna’s skirt embraces him like a deadly snake. Pálmason’s own offspring portray the three children: twin brothers Grímur and Þorgils (Grímur and Þorgils Hlynsson), and their older sister Ída (Ída Mekkín Hlynsdóttir). Their roles gradually expand, occasionally sidelining their parents’ falling-out-of-love.
The combination of black humour, drama and existentialist musings provides abundant weird moments. Insecurities, feelings of longing and unrequited sentiments simmer underneath the upbeat facade. Shot by Pálmason himself on 35 mm, the visuals craft an emotional distance and a melancholic mood. Images of nature and everyday life add a touch of poetry to the proceedings, with icy blue, rusty orange, and earth tones dominating the palette. Long takes, static frames, and natural lighting emphasise the beauty of the Icelandic landscape, while simultaneously showing its harshness. Close-ups of berry picking, mushroom harvesting, and fishing suggest that humans and nature are one.
The scenery becomes an additional character, arguably more vibrant than Anna and Magnus. The absence of romantic and intellectual chemistry makes their separation plausible. Pálmason portrays the erosion of love without sentimentality. Demolition workers tear into the roof of a house, in a clear metaphor for the collapse of the family. Stoicism prevails. The constant comparisons to the nature’s cycle of life (growth, death, and decay) reveals that the break-up is an entirely organic and natural process, and not a tragedy. Visual cues – such as match cuts between objects and locations – link moments across time, establishing a smooth and subtle rhythm.
Time unfolds slowly – sometimes a little too slow – as seasons and emotions shift. This tender tale of separation requires a lot of time in order to grow on audiences. Watch it without looking at your clock, and with an open heart.
The Love That Remains shows at the 59th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. It premiered in Cannes earlier this year, where canine actor Panda won the Palm Dog Award. Also showing in the Sarajevo, the San Sebastian, and the BFI London Film Festival.
