White Night Wedding
White Night Wedding (Icelandic: Brúðguminn) is a 2008 Icelandic film directed by Baltasar Kormákur. The bittersweet comedy, about the never-ending search for love and happiness, takes place in Flatey, Breiðafjörður, western Iceland. The film is loosely based on the play Ivanov by Anton Chekhov.
| White Night Wedding | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Baltasar Kormákur |
| Produced by | Agnes Johansen Baltasar Kormákur Kim Magnusson Lilja Pálmadóttir |
| Written by | Screenplay: Baltasar Kormákur Ólafur Egilsson |
| Starring | Hilmir Snær Guðnason Margrét Vilhjálmsdóttir Laufey Elíasdóttir Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson Jóhann Sigurðsson Ólafía Hrönn Jónsdóttir Ólfur Darri Ólafsson Ilmur Kristjánsdóttir Ólafur Egilsson Karl Guðmundsson |
| Music by | Sigurður Bjóla Jón Ólafsson |
| Cinematography | Bergsteinn Björgúlfsson |
| Edited by | Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir |
Release date |
|
Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | Iceland |
| Language | Icelandic |
Plot
The film opens with a wedding rehearsal at a small church in an isolated barren landscape. At the altar groom-to-be Jon, a middle-aged literature professor, is repeatedly interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone, much to the minister's annoyance. The present narrative alternates with flashbacks that depiction the disintegration of Jon's first marriage to sensitive artist Anna. Jon's new bride-to-be, Thora, is a former student half his age, which triggers disapproval by some, including his future in-laws. [1] As preparations for the wedding unfold during the "white night" (the shortest night of the year, when it is never fully dark), the reason for Jon's increasing reluctance to marry is revealed: he and Anna visited the same spot a year earlier, and she died in an accident after she found Jon and Thora making love.[2] The marriage finally takes place, and Jon and Thora settle down to a life very much like the one he had with Anna.
Cast
- Jon: Hilmir Snær Guðnason
- Anna: Margrét Vilhjálmsdóttir
- Thora: Laufey Elíasdóttir
- Borkur: Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson
- Larus: Jóhann Sigurðsson
- Sisi: Ólafía Hrönn Jónsdóttir
- Sjonni: Ólafur Darri Ólafsson
- Matthildur: Ilmur Kristjánsdóttir
- Olafur the elder: Ólafur Egill Egilsson[3]
Critical reception
White Night Wedding was nominated for the 2008 Nordic Council Film Prize and the 2009 Academy Awards for Best Foreign Film. It received seven Edda Awards in 2008:
- Best film
- Best actor
- Best supporting actor (Throstur Leo Gunnarsson)
- Best supporting actress (Olafia Hronn Jonsdottir)
- Best cinematographer: Bergsteinn Björgúlfsson
- Best costumes: Helga I. Stefansdottir
- Best set design: Gretar Reynisson and Atli Geir Gretarsson[1]
References
- White Night Wedding (Original title: Brúdgummin Retrieved 2011-09-24.
- Iceland—White Night Wedding Retrieved 2011-09-24.
- Cast of White Night Wedding Retrieved 2011-09-24.