When the Light Breaks

2024 / Dir. Rúnar Rúnarsson / Icelandic / 82 minutes

Telling a tragic slice-of-life story and shot on gorgeous 16mm, When the Light Breaks is a somber and downbeat maelstrom of subdued emotion. Magic hour cinematography and the dazzling sunset vistas of Reykjavik compensate for a melancholic narrative that often feels stretched to feature length, as we spend ample time with mourning characters who grieve the loss of someone they love following an unexpected accident. Director Rúnar Rúnarsson creates a sense of poignancy by crafting a delicate day of tears and reflection that can be universally understood, using a dreamlike musical theme to amplify those emotions. It’s an earnest technical achievement that allows its actors to breathe life and world-weary personality into their respective characters, but this exploration of the devastating and confusing nature of sudden and unexpected loss feels better suited to a shorter format.