The Love That Remains (Ástin Sem Eftir Er)

A crane unceremoniously lifts the roof off a building, leaving behind nothing but a gaping void where Anna's atelier once stood. It isn't the only crater in the life of the artist and mother of three. On a personal level too, she struggles with the collapse of her home after separating from her husband Magnús.

The opening shot of The Love That Remains immediately reveals how Hlynur Pálmason delicately captures a disintegrating marriage and family life. More than a conventional melodrama, the Icelandic filmmaker serves up a series of slice-of-life vignettes, where tender poetry, surreal symbolism, and dark humor intertwine.

As in Pálmason's short Nest and his 19th-century expedition drama Godland, the relentless passing of time plays a central role in The Love That Remains. Over the course of a year, we follow the family of five closely. A scarecrow endures the changing seasons and the children's archery practice; Magnús wrestles with his simultaneous presence and absence at home post-divorce; Anna tries to steady both her household and her artistic career. Like the breathtaking landscapes around them, the family's relationships evolve and transform with the seasons. In the awkward summer after the separation, a lingering erotic tension still sparks between Anna and Magnús. Later, their teenage daughter Ída and twin sons Grímur and Þorgils speculate about their parents' sex life: could Mom and Dad still be sleeping together? Surely not.

With The Love That Remains, Pálmason further hones his gift for atmospheric, introspective cinema. Occasional surreal passages add a comic edge while also giving form to the confusion and powerlessness that follow a breakup. The result is a layered family portrait that strikes a perfect balance between wit and emotional depth, anchored by strong performances from stand-up comedian Saga Garðarsdóttir, Borg vs McEnroe actor Sverrir Gudnason, and Pálmason's own children (seen previously in Nest and A White, White Day). The true scene-stealer, however, is Panda, the family's dog, whose performance earned him the coveted Palm Dog Award at Cannes.