Film review of “When the light breaks”: Highly dramatic cinematic journey from Iceland

Director Rúnar Rúnarsson frames his melancholic drama "When the Light Shatters" in a vibrant orange and gold frame: Sunrises mark the beginning and end of his film, unfolding a splendor of their own in early summer Iceland. In between lie 24 hours of narrative time and 80 compact minutes of film in which Rúnarsson examines the emotions following the abrupt loss of a first, great love.

At the beginning, Una (Elín Hall) and Diddi (Baldur Einarsson) are sitting in the first rays of sunlight that seem to rise from the sea near Reykjavik. The two are studying at art school, play in a band together, and have recently become a couple, something no one knows about. But now the secrecy is about to end.

Today, Diddi will fly to his hometown and break up with his longtime girlfriend Klara (Katla Njálsdóttir). But in the morning, a terrible fire catastrophic event occurs in the tunnel leading to the airport. Numerous people are killed, including Diddi. In the hospital lobby, where Una and Diddi's brother Gunni (Mikael Kaaber) learn of her lover's death, people are weeping and hugging each other. Una, however, doesn't know how much she should express her grief.

Diddi's friends and Klara soon arrive, none of them suspecting the secret affair. The group spends an entire day together, attending a funeral service, toasting the deceased at their local pub, and finally celebrating a melancholy farewell party at a friend's parents' house.

It becomes increasingly clear that Una can no longer hide her painful feelings of loss. Klara, too, begins to suspect that Una was more than just a fellow student to Diddi. But Klara doesn't succumb to jealousy: the two young women feel drawn to each other in their grief.

With an almost magical precision and empathy, Rúnarsson travels through the wrenching emotional landscapes of his characters in "When the Light Shatters." Elín Hall, who plays the main character with short hair and a tomboyish outfit, proves to be a revelation.

The nuances with which she embodies her character's suppressed grief maintain the film's tension from the first to the last minute. Hall vividly embodies the attitude of a 20-year-old whose euphoric joy at moving on is thwarted by a sudden loss.

The young people are completely inexperienced in dealing with death. They are threatened by their emotions and simultaneously try to support each other. With "When the Light Shatters," Rúnarsson has created a highly dramatic yet contemplative cinematic miniature.

“When the light breaks”, directed by Rúnar Rúnarsson, with Elín Hall, Katla Njálsdóttir, Baldur Einarsson, 80 minutes, FSK 12