Hlynur Pálmason Delivers an Intimate Portrait with Ástin Sem Eftir Er (The Love That Remains)
Three years after the impressive Volaða land (Godland), presented at Un Certain Regard, the Icelandic Hlynur Pálmason returns to Cannes Première with a contemporary film, Ástin Sem Eftir Er (The Love That Remains), a break from the rest of his work.
Anna and Magnus separate. What is left are their three children and connections that reach beyond shared custody. Ástin Sem Eftir Er (The Love That Remains) tells the story of this family over the course of a year, in its day-to-day existence, with a tender melancholy.
Far removed from the icy cold of Volaða land (Godland), a Danish priest’s journey in 19th century Iceland, Ástin Sem Eftir Er (The Love That Remains) exists in the realm of a modern-day family, changing with the seasons.
“It’s a film about everyday life, about what’s familiar and what’s strange, imbued with a dream-like quality. I wanted things to flow and be in permanent motion, like water.”
Hlynur Pálmason was inspired by little things that are dear to him, his children, his garden, nature. Borne from the idea to film without trying to be showy, but instead working with a small team, seeking to create an environment built on trust and freedom.
“I wanted something simple and straightforward on all accounts, to capture the film’s distinctive energy and achieve an internal play between the absurd and the comical, beauty and ugliness, family and nature, children and parents…”
To capture Anna and Magnus, Hlynur Pálmason enlisted Saga Garðarsdóttir and Sverrir Gudnason (seen in Falling, Viggo Mortensen’s first film). Their three children are played by the director’s own who are used to their father’s sets and are together in front of the camera for the first time.
