''White Night Wedding'' () is a 2008 Icelandic film directed by

Baltasar Kormákur Baltasar Kormákur Baltasarsson is an Icelandic actor, theatre and film director, and film producer. He is best known for directing the films '' 101 Reykjavík'', '' The Sea'', '' A Little Trip to Heaven'', ''Contraband'', '' 2 Guns'', ''Eve ...

. The bittersweet comedy, about the never-ending search for love and happiness, takes place in

Flatey, Breiðafjörður Flatey () is an island of the western islands, a cluster of about forty large and small islands and islets located in Breiðafjörður on the northwestern part of Iceland. Flatey and its surrounding islands are, as a creation, believed to hav ...

, western Iceland. The film is loosely based on the play ''

Ivanov Ivanov, Ivanoff or Ivanow (masculine, , Sometimes the stress is on Ива́нов in Bulgarian if it is a middle name, or in Russian as a rare variant of pronunciation), or Ivanova (feminine, , ) is one of the most common surnames in Russia and Bu ...

'' by

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; ; 29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, widely considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his b ...

Plot

The film opens with a wedding rehearsal at a small church in an isolated barren landscape. At the altar groom-to-be Jón, 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 depict the disintegration of Jón's first marriage to sensitive artist Anna. Jón's new bride-to-be, Thóra, is a former student half his age, which triggers disapproval by some, including his future in-laws. White Night Wedding (Original title: Brúdgummin
Retrieved 2011-09-24. As preparations for the wedding unfold during the "white nights" (the shortest nights of the year, when it is never fully dark), the reason for Jón'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 Jón and Thóra making love. The marriage finally takes place, and Jón and Thóra settle down to a life very much like the one he had with Anna.

Cast

* Hilmir Snær Guðnason as Jón * Margrét Vilhjálmsdóttir as Anna * Laufey Elíasdóttir as Thóra *

Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson (English transliteration: Thröstur Leó Gunnarsson; born 23 April 1961 in Reykjavík), is an Icelandic people, Icelandic stage, film and television actor. Early life Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson graduated from the Iceland ...

as Börkur * Jóhann Sigurðsson as Lárus * Ólafía Hrönn Jónsdóttir as Sísí *

Ólafur Darri Ólafsson Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (born 3 March 1973) is an Icelandic and American actor, screenwriter, and producer, known for his roles in films such as ''Children'', '' The Deep'', '' The Secret Life of Walter Mitty'', and '' Eurovision Song Contest: ...

as Sjonni * Ilmur Kristjánsdóttir as Matthildur * Ólafur Egill Egilsson as Ólafur the elderCast of ''White Night Wedding''
Retrieved 2011-09-24.

Critical reception

''White Night Wedding'' was nominated for the 2008 Nordic Council Film Prize and it was selected as the Icelandic entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 81st Academy Awards. It received seven

Edda Award The Edda Award is an accolade bestowed annually by the Icelandic Film and Television Academy, and is the most prominent film and television award in Iceland, awarded annually in February. The ''Edda'' has awarded for outstanding work in various cat ...

s in 2008: *Best film *Best actor *Best supporting actor (Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson) *Best supporting actress (Ólafía Hrönn Jónsdóttir) *Best

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live-action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera ...

: Bergsteinn Björgúlfsson *Best costumes: Helga I. Stefánsdáttir *Best set design: Grétar Reynísson and Atli Geir Grétarsson

References

External links

* {{Icelandic submissions for the Academy Award Icelandic comedy films Films directed by Baltasar Kormákur Films set in Iceland Films about weddings